Order of the Phoenix 1 and a Half
by Masters of Michief - MWAHAHA
Summary: From the Hogwarts Express all the way through to the end of The Order of the Phoenix and then some, here is the story of two American best friends. If you like humor, romance, action, Draco Malfoy, and the Weasleys then read!
1. Prolouge

_Hello, Readers! Skittles and Snickers, here! We hope you enjoy our accurate retelling of Order of the Phoenix. This is exactly the way it would have gone if J.K. Rowling hadn't decided to forget about MJ Quarters and Felicity Byrd. Everything in this would have happened if she hadn't written those two out of the book._

_Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling did not make up the two main characters of this story. She did, however, write the amazing _Order of the Phoenix_, and the rest of the _Harry Potter_ series as well. We are just inserting two extras for our (and hopefully your) amusement._

_Enjoy meeting our two (hopefully) realistic characters in our prologue! Constructive criticism will be much appreciated! ^_^_

**Prologue: Check and Double-Check**

"Watch it!"

"Outta the way!"

"That's my toe you imbecile!"

"MOVE!"

_This is insane, _a sixteen-year-old girl thought after she got shoved by what looked like a third year. The American had already lost her first year brother in the sweeping crowd. She wasn't worried, though; he could take care of himself.

"C'mon, Lis!" her friend called out to her from the other end of the corridor, holding a door to a compartment open.

"Coming, MJ!" Rushing over, Felicity Byrd slipped in after her slightly taller fellow-American, MJ Quarters, who had long, wavy brown hair that sometimes had gold or a hint of red streaks in the sunlight and dark chocolate brown eyes. The fourteen-year-old MJ was wearing a casual muggle ensemble that consisted of a short sleeved, dark blue hoodie, black jeans, white flip-flops and huge white hoop earrings. She was 5'6

.

Quickly, Felicity plopped into a seat after putting her suitcase up on the rack. She wore a slightly wacky outfit that had a muggle air about it: a red t-shirt that proclaimed "I went to Transylvania, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt, black fingerless gloves that went up to her elbows, a short green skirt, and black combat boots. If her hair wasn't arranged in a messy bun that held her wand, it would have gone down to her hips. It was golden blonde and insanely curly. She directed her forest-green eyes toward the window as they waited for the train to start. She was 5'5 and a half

MJ looked at the shorter blonde girl seated across from her. "I thought we were supposed to meet up with your cousin?"

Shaking her head, Felicity replied, "No. He's sitting in the _Prefects'_ compartment." She sneered. "He just got his letter with the badge a few days ago. He's such a kiss-up" she rolled her eyes, but she was grinning now.

"Oh, ok. Maybe once the train starts we can find _my _cousins. It shouldn't be hard."

"Yeah", her friend agreed as she sprawled out across the seat on her stomach. She was pretty bushed from driving to the train station in a muggle car and then getting lectured by her pureblood aunt about messing with muggle things (like said car). Felicity thought about how it was a good thing her Aunt Cissy didn't ask too much about MJ; if she had found out about the Quarters family, she would never let Felicity hear the end of it. Even though the pureblood blonde was two years older, she had still forged a friendship with the younger girl that was not quite a "respectable" pureblood.

Meanwhile, MJ was already feeling slightly homesick. She remembered leaving her parents...

_"Now remember", her mother said after they had put her luggage on the train, "contact me immediately in case of an emergency, ok?"_

_"Ok, Mom!" MJ was getting impatient. "OOH! There's Lis! And the train's about to leave!" she added as the last whistle rang out. "Bye, love you!" she hugged her parents and rushed off._

_When she reached Felicity, she gave her a hug, and then said with a grin, "I can't wait to cause all kinds of trouble with you! Pulling pranks, and prank-calling people-"_

_"Huh?" her friend gave her a confused look. "Didn't you know? We can't use electronics at Hogwarts; they don't work."_

_Meanwhile, across the station…_

"_Oh, that's me" Mrs. Quarters told her husband as they heard a phone ringing. "Hello?"_

_"EMERGENCY!" her daughter cried as soon as she picked up. "NO ELECTRONICS! HOW ON EARTH WILL WE STAY IN TOUCH?"_

_Felicity replied next to MJ the same time Mrs. Quarters did over the phone. "Writing letters."_

_MJ groaned. "Aw, that's what cavemen did!"_

_Before she could complain anymore, Felicity had pushed her onto the train, forcing her to tell her mom goodbye one more time before hanging up._

MJ shook herself out of her homesick state and looked at her companion. "We're really going to Hogwarts, aren't we Lis?"

"Yes, we are MJ."

All was silent for a few moments.

"… You got the notes and supplies?"

Felicity smirked. "Check and double-check."

"Good" MJ grinned mischievously.

"Uh-huh. This school will never know what hit 'em."


	2. You've Been Here Before?

_Here we are at Chapter 1! Get ready to find out who Felicity's Prefect of a cousin is! We also find out about MJ's cousins as well. Not to mention we get some of Felicity's back story, AND travel with our two girls on the carriages to the castle. Yes, this chapter is chock full o' stuff!_

_Skittles: I'm so excited for this! Do you wanna know how long we've been working on this story? A long, long time! R&R!_

_Disclaimer: We do not own the Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling doesn't seem to be willing to part with it anytime soon (which is probably a good thing). We also do not own any AVPM (A Very Potter Musical) jokes. That's all Starkidpotter's._

_Again, constructive criticism = love. Or even just a "hey, cool story!" is nice too. ^_^_

_Hugs and butterfly kisses,_

_Snickers and Skittles_

**Chapter 1: You've Been Here Before?**

Felicity's POV

_I was trapped in the Department of Magical Transport. Brooms were everywhere, but I was afraid to try one out (heights aren't my forte)._

_Because this was a dream, I could tell that a few seemingly harmless objects were portkeys: a dolphin plushy, a football, and a mandrake elixir. For some unknown reason, I was afraid to use them._

_I finally decided to use the Floo Network._

_Strangely, I cried "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!" as the green flames sprang up. I was spun around violently as I heard,_

"_FELICITY!"_

I jumped out of my seat and tried to draw my wand, but it got stuck in my hair. I gave up when I realized that I was just in the compartment on the Hogwart's Express. I looked over at MJ who was staring at me strangely from her seat. "What?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You were talking in your sleep."

I blinked and sat back down. "What did I say?" I asked MJ.

Before she could answer me, I recognized a voice in the next compartment so I put a finger to my lips to silence her. I pointed my wand to myself and whispered, "_Supria sensius"_. In seconds, I could see everything with startling clarity; MJ had a minuscule piece of blue lint stuck in her bangs. I could also smell and hear everything going on in our whole train car; something smelled like Stinksap, and a couple in one of the front compartments was making out. Yuck. But I focused my hearing on the conversation in the one where I heard my cousin's voice...

Listening hard while MJ looked on (she hadn't perfected the spell yet), I struggled to figure out who was talking to whom. _Ooh, I hope it was him that just got called a git. _I thought.

He insulted a few people. Then he must have left after a girl ordered him out. I was about to undo the "spidey-sense" spell, when a loud "BANG!" almost popped my eardrums.

"ARGH!" I yelled. And that made it worse because I heard it about 10 times louder than I normally would. I then took off the charm and looked at where the noise had come from; the door. A tall, blonde, pale boy was standing there, smirking. There were two HUGE boys behind him. He turned to them and said, "Crabbe, Goyle, I'll catch up with you two later."

They grunted (_'grunted'? What are they, cavemen?_), and went back up the hall.

My fifteen-year-old cousin turned back to me, a smile gracing his handsome face. "Felicity, it's been too long!"

I grinned widely and stood up to hug him. "Drakie!" I saw his face flicker in annoyance at the nickname before I enveloped him in a hug. "I didn't see you on the platform! My favorite little cousin!"

It was then that I realized I only came up to his chin.

I released him and looked up, "Wow, you got _tall_ since June!"

He chuckled at me "Or maybe you just got shorter. I already visited Willis" he told me (that's my first year lil' brother).

Then, Draco seemed to notice MJ. He started a bit (he hates to show any _good-humored_ emotion around anyone but me, his favorite cousin; even though my parents and his parents don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, he and I are still really close).

"Who's your friend?" he asked semi-stiffly as the smile disappeared from his face and turned into a smirk.

I made a "Psh!" sound. "She's not my _friend_!" I smiled at her "She's my _best_ friend! This is MJ. MJ," I gave my cousin a playful punch in the arm, "this is Draco."

Draco nodded curtly toward her, putting his hands in his robe pockets. I was reminded that MJ and I would need to change soon. "Nice to meet you." He scrutinized her muggle clothing, with an expression of mingled distaste and admiration.

I had a feeling he liked her, but not her clothes. He didn't like that _I _liked a few muggle things. If he found out that MJ got me into it, he would try to keep me away from her. So I tried to quickly skate over this sticky moment.

"Did you know I still talk in my sleep?" I asked him cheerfully.

Draco raised his eyebrow and gave me a "why-the-devil-should-_I_-care?" look.

"Thank goodness it usually makes no sense" I continued brightly. "Isn't that right, MJ?"

She nodded just as animatedly, "Yeah, last time, all I understood was something about Valentine's Day."

I knit up my brow. "Really? I can never remember my dreams…"

Draco had been standing there awkwardly, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. Now he interjected with, "Not that this conversation isn't _stimulating_, but I've got _Prefect_ duty to see to" he pointed to his shiny badge.

MJ rolled her eyes. "Your mother must be so proud," she mumbled sarcastically, but Drake acted like he didn't hear.

"Oh, well don't let us keep you!" I chirped at Draco as I went to gently push him out the door. "See you at the Slytherin table!"

He stopped right in the doorway. "By the way, what House are you in?" he asked MJ casually.

She shrugged. "I haven't been sorted yet, this is my first year here. I have an appointment with the Sorting Hat at dinner," she smiled.

He frowned. "Oh. Sixth years are allowed to be sorted with first years?"

"I'm a fourth year" she told Draco. "And there are no rules that say I can't be sorted with first years."

"Oh." Draco said, leaning on the doorway. "I guess you seem older than you are," he said in a husky voice, winking at my best friend.

I kicked his shin.

"OW!" he bent over to rub the area of abuse. "What was that for?"

"Flirting with my friend."

He frowned. "What's your problem?"

"I know you" I glared at him sternly.

He rolled his eyes. "So I guess asking her to Hogsmeade sometime is out of the question?" He half-directed the question to MJ as he looked at her over my head.

"Gag me with a shovel, hot-shot" I heard her say.

I turned to her. She was sitting in her seat and facing the window, looking utterly bored. I had warned her about my dear cousin's tendency to be a whiny, stuck up jerk, so she was definitely _not _interested.

Turning back to Draco I said, "_Burn_. And let's just see if you're still interested after she's sorted."

He stood up straight. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Never mind!" I snapped. "Get to your Prefect duties." And with that I shoved him out and slammed the door.

Looking at MJ sympathetically I said, "Don't get me wrong, I love him to death, but he's a bit of a… jerk… I just don't want someone like that around you!"

She turned to face me. "It's ok, I get it; you've told me. I don't want him around me either."

"Good. When you're sorted into Gryffindor he won't look at you twice; I guarantee it. He's just _that _prejudiced."

"Why are you so sure I'll be sorted _there_?" she asked, frustrated.

"The rest of your family was, weren't they? Why do you think you'll be any different?"

She rolled her eyes. "Because I'm a total coward!"

"Don't you have a cousin with a rabid fear of spiders?"

"Yeah but—"

"If he could get in, you can get in." I stated matter-of-factly.

MJ brightened. "Yeah! We'll be the first Gryffindor/Slytherin BFFLs!"

I grinned. "Believe it! Although I doubt we'll be the first."

"Unless I'm in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff..." MJ looked thoughtful.

"That's possible too", I admitted, "but Houses usually run in families. Why do you think I'm in Slytherin?"

MJ stared incredulously at me. "Other than the fact that you're totally shrewd, sly, and scheming?"

I blinked. "Oh yeah..."

"I could end up in any house BUT Slytherin, I think," MJ mused.

"I don't know; you're pretty devious..."

We continued to discuss her House options until the end of the train ride.

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MJ's POV

_So this is Hogsmeade Station_, I thought as we stood by the road waiting for the Hogwarts carriages. I stroked my little grey cat, Starburst. The journey had been a bit too exciting for her taste. And she kept going after Lis' rat, Zurina.

"What's with all the names about hogs?" I asked Lis, holding my struggling kitty. "_Hog_warts, _Hogs_meade."

"Don't forget about the _Hog's_ Head" a person remarked from right behind me. Before I could turn around to see who it was, someone covered my eyes. "Guess who!" someone else said in a sing-song voice.

"Uh…" I hesitated. "George?"

"WRONG!" he yelled into my ear as he removed his hands from my eyes.

I turned around to grin apologetically to my tall, freckled, orange-haired cousin. "Sorry Fred."

He grinned. "I'm only yanking your wand, I _am _George!"

Standing beside him, his doppelganger laughed. "Don't let him fool you MJ, _I'm_ George."

I heard Lis chuckle next to me. "Wow, they really ARE identical! How the heck do you tell who's who?"

"I can tell most of the time," I told her. "But it's so dark, I'm not sure right now…"

A tall, dread-locked, black boy ran over to the twins, out of breath. "I accidentally dropped an extendable ear, and McGonagall almost saw it! Thank God Angelina walked up to her and asked her a question or we would've caught it!" Then he noticed Lis and I; we probably looked completely confused. "Who're your friends?" he asked Fred and George.

One of them, I still couldn't tell who (I hadn't seen them in a year, ok? And it was DARK!) , nodded toward me and said, "This is our baby cousin, MJ" (I scowled). "And she hasn't told us who her friend is yet."

Crossing my arms contrarily, I pointed out, "You haven't introduced _your _friend _either_."

"We'll introduce ours' if you introduce yours'."

"Fine." I didn't bother gesturing to the twins when I made the introductions (I didn't want to give away that I still couldn't tell them apart). "Fred, George, Fred and George's friend; this is my best friend Felicity Byrd. Lis; this is Fred and George and their as-of-now-nameless friend."

Chortling, she nodded her acknowledgments as she said, "Nice to meet you all."

They, in turn, introduced their friend. His name was Lee Jordan. He seemed really friendly.

"Cute cat, MJ" George commented.

"Thanks. You wanna hold her?" I handed her off to him before he could reply.

Just then, the carriages pulled up, and Lis gasped next to me. Turning to her, I raised an eyebrow and said, "What?"

She was staring at the front of the horse-less carriages. Following her gaze, I observed "Whoa, nothing pulls them. That's weird."

She was quiet as we clambered into a carriage with Fred, George, and Lee, who were whispering and passing what looked like candy amongst them. I had already told Lis about my cousins wanting to start a joke shop, so she didn't ask any questions. Or maybe that was because she was turned around in her seat, clutching Zurina, and still staring at the front of the carriage.

Concerned, I asked, "What's wrong?"

"You mean you don't see the horses?" Lis asked, sounding kind of panicked.

Blinking, I turned and stared hard at the front of the carriage. "No" I said slowly. "Are you feeling all right Lis?"

Sitting across from me and next to Fred, George (I could now see that he had the pointier face, so I knew it was him) looked over to me and Lis as he stroked Starburst's ears and said, "What's up?"

"Lis thinks she sees horses pulling the carriages."

She shook her head exclaiming, "I mean, I _am_ kind of tired, but they look as real as you! They're black, winged and... _weird_-looking!"

Lee nodded solemnly from the other side of Fred. "I've read about those," he said. "They're called Thestrals, a very bizarre kind of horse; they're invisible to most people. You can only see them if you've seen someone snuff it."

Fred and George were staring at Lee in shock. "You _read_?" they asked at the same time.

Lis had stiffened. That certainly explained why she could see them. I knew she had seen her grandmother pass away this past summer; that was one of the reasons her parents sent her back to Hogwarts in the first place—they didn't want her to become depressed by being stuck in her house; our old school was not a boarding school.

Lee was explaining his uncharacteristic act. "One brushed against me last year. I couldn't see it so I was scared stiff. Hagrid told me to look it up when I asked him about it, so I decided to actually crack open my copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ and figure out what it was."

Fred and George looked satisfied at this. Then Lee turned to my best friend, "So who did you see?" he gently asked.

She was looking down at her feet. "My grandmother," she answered quietly.

"Sorry to hear that" Fred said sympathetically.

She shrugged and attempted a small smile as she pulled her robes on over her uniform, put Zurina in her pocket, and started fixing her tie, "Anyways, let's talk about something else. How come I haven't seen Ron or Ginny yet?"

The twins raised their eyebrows. "You've met them?" George asked.

"Yeah," I replied for her. "She met them when they visited this summer. _Wonnykins_ developed a bit of a crush on her." I snickered. Lis just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Oh yeah," Fred snickered. "Ginny talked a lot about you, and we couldn't get Ron to say much about you; that completely explains it!"

"Really?" Lis looked amused. "I spent half a summer with him and I didn't realize he liked me until MJ told me after they left."

"He's a shy child," Fred told her.

"Does he know you're here?" asked George, grinning like Christmas had come a few months early. He loved to tease his younger brother as much as I did.

Lis turned to me with an inquisitive expression. Shrugging exaggeratedly, I replied, "I think I neglected to mention it when I owled Ginny." George grinned even wider.

All of a sudden, Fred elbowed Lee who was frowning as he watched the scenery go by. "You've been awfully quiet, mate. What's up?"

Lee turned to his friends. "Have you noticed the colors on Byrd's tie?" he asked coldly.

Uh-oh.

Fred and George turned their heads so fast to look at Lis; I thought they'd get whip-lash for sure. They both drew in a sharp breath as soon as they realized the colors were silver and green and the insignia was a snake. Looking at each other they cried, "Throw her out!"

Lis merely raised an eyebrow at them, but I saw her slightly tighten her hold on the seat.

I, however, knew my cousins would never do that.

Not to a girl, anyway.

George chuckled. "We're only joking."

"We are?"

George kicked his twin, upsetting my cat. I took her from him and she settled down on my lap.

"Ow! Ok, we are" but Fred looked annoyed.

Then George frowned. "Wait, have you been sorted yet, MJ?"

"No."

Fred squinted at Lis. "So... you've been here before?"

"Mm-hm." She was still holding on to the railing of the carriage, just in case. "I was here for my first year because my dad got a promotion that made us have to move, but then it turned out he hated his new job and I missed my friends back home so we moved back at the end of the school year." She had said it all in one breath—typical of Lis.

"Did we ever meet you?" George inquired.

"I don't think so," she answered slowly. "I think I remember seeing you guys running through the halls a lot, though."

Lee asked without looking at her, "What year are you?"

"Sixth."

"That means we were second years then" George stated.

Fred and Lee still didn't look happy that they were in the presence of a Slytherin, even though said Slytherin was as nice as Lis. George's expression was hard to read, his face was hidden in shadows more than the other two.

"So you're being sorted with the first years?" he asked me. I nodded my reply.

At this point, the carriage was slowing down. I turned around to look at my new school. It was beautiful; even more majestic than I'd pictured it! I couldn't wait to see the inside…

**End Chapter 1**


	3. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum

_Hey, Skittles and Snickers here! Thanks to roni2010, ShesASuperFreak317, AshleyRoseSparrow, and bananafreak97 for reviewing! We love you! We hope you like this chapter =)_

_We also want to thank Snickers' friend, Green Goat, for helping us out and just being generally awesome. Some things in this chapter are direct quotes from her. Love ya, girl! ^_^_

_We want to also thank Skittle's good friend Meg for being so epic that we just had to make her an OC too. Love you!_

_So in this chapter, we have the (drum-roll please) SORTING! And you finally get to see some more of Lis' little brother! We are also taking a shot at both of our favorite twins boys' point of views, so please let us know how we did in the comments!_

_Disclaimer: We are not trying to make fun of British words, we are just pointing out the confusions that can entail when moving to a different country. We do not own the references to Wizard of Oz. We also do not own Alice in Wonderland character names, words from Bolt, or AVPM references. J.K. Rowling owns everything else. We're just playing around in her imaginary world because hers is better than the ones we've come up with. ^_^_

_Remember: Only YOU can boost our confidence with a review (along with everyone else who reads this)._

_Hugs and butterfly kisses,_

_Snickers and Skittles_

**Chapter 2: Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum**

Hey there, I'm Fred; the better-looking twin.

After entrusting MJ to McGonagall, who was in the antechamber with all the little first years waiting to be sorted, George, Lee and I went straight to the Gryffindor table. We just ignored Byrd, and she went to her table. I sat down next to Lee with my back to the Slytherins; I didn't even want to look at that lot right then. I'd be watching them enough later; I'd have to keep an eye on Byrd. It really unsettled me that MJ was so chummy with a _Slytherin_.

What? She _is_ my baby cousin after all!

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Hello, I'm George; the _humble_ twin.

After leaving MJ and Byrd, I sat across from Fred and Lee, facing the Slytherin table. I was curious to see who Byrd would sit with. She seemed strangely… _amiable_ for a Slytherin; but I still wasn't thrilled that MJ was such good friends with her.

_Hold on. When have you ever known MJ to make illogical decisions?_ I asked myself. _She's a level-headed girl. Byrd must be alright._

Just as I was about to open my mouth to tell Fred what I thought, the very Slytherin I had been thinking about sat down next to _Draco Malfoy_, and pulled him into a one-armed hug. The words I had almost spoken rearranged themselves before angrily spilling out.

"That conniving little _Byrd_ better stay away from our cousin!" I told Fred.

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MJ's POV

Sortings are nerve-wracking.

After the Hat sang its epic ballad, I gazed down at all the other kids waiting to be sorted. I felt like I was either a giant, or I had entered Munchkin Land. I expected Toto to pop out any second now.

"Abercrombie, Euan."

I was going to be here for a while. By the time they got to Quarters, I'd be asleep on my feet. Looking over all the little first years, I caught Lis' eye. She smiled and gave me a thumbs up. Next to her, Malfoy raised his eyebrows, giving me what I think was supposed to be an intimidating sneer. I guess he took Lis' words to heart. I rolled my eyes, causing Lis to frown in confusion. I shook my head at her and mouthed, "Later." She shrugged and went back to her conversation with an odd-looking girl on her other side. A dark-haired girl started talking to Malfoy from his other side, causing him to turn his attention to her.

I looked at Willis Byrd, who was at the front of the line, and realized that he looked just like a younger version of Draco Malfoy, except he had dark hair.

Then, I looked over to the Gryffindor table where that Abercrombie kid had gone. Hehe, it would have been funny if his parents had named him Fitch... I swept my gaze further along the table.

George looked up when my eyes fell on him. Grinning at me encouragingly, he caused Fred to turn around and look at me as well, and wink at me. Those two have always been my favorite cousins. We're pretty close. I know they feel like I'm their other little sister; that was why I was afraid they wouldn't like that I was friends with a Slytherin. Oddly, they didn't seem too upset about it…

"Byrd, Willis."

_Aw, he looks so nervous!_ I thought as he flashed me a shaky grin. Smiling, I nodded at him; that seemed to hearten him a bit. He has a huge crush on me, but he's too young for me; I see him as my little brother.

He got up to the stool and sat. After a few seconds of deliberating atop Willis' brown hair, the hat shouted "SLYTHERIN!"

Well THAT was no surprise. He's almost as crafty as his sister. He happily sat down on the other side of Lis.

I started when I heard McGonagall say my name. _That didn't take as long as I thought it would. Most of the others must be lower on the alphabetical list..._

I peeked at Lis as I walked up the stairs towards the hat, but she, Malfoy and Willis were having an animated conversation about something, so they didn't notice me until I had actually sat on the stool with the hat on my head.

I waited. I knew the hat sometimes talked to people while sorting them.

Sure enough, _Ah, you're a Weasley..._

_Well hi!_ I thought to it (that wasn't a weird sentence...).

It ignored me. _Let's see... what to do with _you_... hmmmmmmmm... _clearly _you would be alright in Ravenclaw... perhaps _Slytherin_; you're a pureblood... and_ y_ou _are_ quite cunning, aren't you? ... but you are so fair-minded; so virtuous... not to mention dedicated to your friends… yes... better be..._

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

I blinked. Hufflepuff?

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Third Person POV

As soon as the hat announced his verdict for MJ, over at the Slytherin table…

"Hufflepuff?" Felicity seemed a bit perplexed.

"Hufflepuff?" Willis was totally confused.

"Hufflepuff?" Draco uttered incredulously.

"Hufflepuff?" Ron Weasley said over at his table, frowning.

"Hufflepuff?" Ginny raised her eyebrows across from him.

"Hufflepuff" Fred and George sadly stated simultaneously.

"Pay up" Lee told the twins.

Meanwhile, MJ shrugged and strolled over to her new House's table where she was welcomed with thunderous applause. Still surprised, Felicity mustered an encouraging smile at MJ. Grinning back, MJ gave her a thumbs up. She was a bit disappointed that she wasn't in Gryffindor with her cousins (who also grinned optimistically at her from across the Hall), but she knew she would be alright when the girl she sat next to started chatting energetically with her about Quidditch.

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Lis' POV

We (Draco, Willis and I) were all eating our dinner after the Sorting. I was seated between the two of them.

Willis, having very short arms, asked Draco, who had longer arms, to pass the chips. He reached over me to hand my brother a platter.

Willis gave our cousin a look similar to one that someone would give to their brain damaged loved one when they said something cute, yet so very stupid. "I said the _chips_, Draco; not the _fries_."

Draco quirked an eyebrow at him, and continued to hold out the plate to him.

Willis let out an exasperated sigh. "Lissy, pass the chips please."

Being his loving big sister, I happily obliged by reaching around Draco for the basket of potato chips.

Draco frowned. "I thought he wanted the chips?"

I looked at Draco. "That's what these _are_." I said very slowly, as if speaking to a two-year-old.

"No, those are _crisps_" he said mimicking my tone.

I frowned and looked at my old friend, Gwen, who had been sitting silently on the other side of my brother. She was wearing her usual spiked choker and matching bracelets with her school robes, along with black lipstick. She was a sixth year too, and it was plain to see that she had not changed much in the five years since I had last seen her. "You seriously call them crisps?" I asked her.

She stared back at me blankly with a mouthful of food and swallowed painfully before saying in a matter-of-fact way: "Yes."

I blinked. "And you call French fries" I pointed at the plate of fries, "chips?"

Having shoveled more food into her mouth, she simply nodded and chewed.

It had obviously been too long since I had been in England.

Willis scoffed as the dinner magically replaced itself with dessert. "That's stupid. Next you'll be telling us you call _cookies_ something else" he picked up one and started munching on it.

My 15-year-old cousin cocked his head to the side, "Yes, actually, that is a _biscuit_."

I slapped my forehead in disbelief.

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MJ's POV

Hufflepuff wasn't exactly where I expected to be sorted, but I wasn't about to complain. I was having fun talking to a girl named Sadie—a fourth year as well—who answered all of my questions about the school patiently after we had talked Quidditch. She had no wish to play the game, but she knew practically everything about it; just like Lis. I told her how Lis wasn't "scared" of heights, she just wasn't "comfortable" with them. It made her laugh. When she first learned that my best friend was a Slytherin, she was a bit surprised, but it didn't seem to bother her. I'm glad; Sadie's really cool. She started telling me about the teachers.

"I wonder where Hagrid is" she said in her slight British accent, frowning. "That Grubbly-Plank woman is in his seat instead."

"Who?"

She pointed her out to me. "She's the substitute for Care of Magical Creatures. Usually, the teacher is Hagrid. His classes are never boring, but Grubbly-Plank's usually are."

"Oh." I looked a bit further up the table. "Who's the other lady with the short hair?"

Sadie looked. "Madam Hooch. She's the flying instructor and Quidditch referee; she's awesome."

"Sweet!" I scanned some more, then I spotted a man who had greasy, gross hair, and a sneer that made it look like he was either trying to hold in a sneeze, or constipated. He was walking along the House tables.

"Who's that?" I asked pointing to him.

Sadie grabbed my arm and yanked it down. "THAT'S _SNAPE_! HE'S _EVIL_!" she whispered loudly as he was passing by the other side of the Ravenclaw table.

Almost as if he heard her, Snape turned his head slowly towards us. We held our breath. Then, he went on his way towards the teachers' table. We exhaled simultaneously.

A few minutes later, after we discussed a few more things about the school, Snape appeared suddenly behind us. "Detention, Ms. Stevenson."

She whipped around. "Oh yeah? On what charge?"

He sneered at her. "For disrespecting a teacher." Then, he left us.

"Gee, I thought I was disrespecting an evil old bat, not a teacher" Sadie muttered under her breath.

"Double detention!" Snape called over his shoulder.

Sadie groaned.

I patted her back. "Man that sucks."

"Oh no, this is actually a slow day for me!" she told me. "I've only gotten detention from one teacher!" she turned to face the lady that called us up for sorting. "Hey, McGonagall!" she greeted her.

The professor gave her a stern look as she walked between the tables. "Ms. Stevenson, you will address me correctly as 'Professor'. Detention."

Sadie sighed happily as the professor walked away. "That's more like it."

I stared incredulously at her. I was never going to be bored with this crazy girl around!

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Third Person POV

After dinner, her school skirt swishing, Felicity walked slowly with her old friend and roommate, Gwendolynn Securn (who refused to wear the skirts). They were heading towards the Slytherin dungeons. Gwen was about a head shorter than Felicity, with long, dark hair that was in two braids, twirled around in two swirls on either side of her head. The end of the braids stuck up, making her look a bit devilish, and slightly scary. Her bangs almost went down to her dark brown eyes. People who didn't know either of them could not understand how they were friends; they looked so different—Felicity had a wacky, almost flamboyant style and Gwen's style was undeniably Goth. But they had similar personalities and interests, which is why they became fast friends in their first year. They had owled each other regularly while Felicity was in America. They were not clingy friends, they were not always together, but they were good friends that gave each other space when they needed it.

Felicity felt like someone was watching her. She turned around to see the Weasley twins glaring at her from the front of the stairs. One of them jerked his head towards a broom closet, indicating that they wanted her to join them.

She groaned, "Go ahead, Gwen, I'll catch up later."

"Alrigh'," her companion replied in her Yorkshire accent. "I'll cover for ye if ye decide to take too long." Gwen had become well acquainted with Felicity's habits of sneaking around the castle at night during their first year, so she didn't even look back to see why her friend had decided to dawdle.

Felicity walked right past the broom closet, then past the twins.

"Oi!" one of them called softly but angrily across the empty hall.

"I have a better place to talk if you don't want to get caught," she said matter-of-factly when they caught up with her, not bothering to glance at them. "Plus, if I recall correctly, people here seem to think that broom closets are for... well, you know."

Past Filch's office, but before the staff room, she stopped in front of the wall. Tapping a slightly protruding stone that was level to her waist with her wand, she muttered, "_Solvitus_". An archway opened up in the wall, about 6 feet high and 5 feet wide. She strolled right in, but the taller twins behind her had to duck slightly. They straightened up after walking through a short passageway, for they had found themselves in a tall, plain-looking room that contained a square table in the center of the place with enough space for four people to sit comfortably around it. There was also plenty of room to walk around the table, as well as a stairway at the back of the room.

"What is this?" George asked in wonder.

"A secret passageway that leads to the library" Felicity told him as she blasted the dust off the table and conjured up four wooden chairs. "I found this place in my first year" she added, sitting down. "I usually use the library entrance, though, since the Entrance Hall has a lot of people in it more often than not."

"I thought we knew about all the secret rooms here," Fred said in bewilderment. He checked himself, and then he shook his head. "Anyway," he growled, "George and I have a few questions for you, _Byrd_."

He moved to stand on Felicity's right as George moved to stand on her left. Now that she knew who was who, she started making mental notes of the differences between them.

"Now, Byrd—," George started kindly.

"—we've noticed that you seem quite friendly with _Malfoy_—" Fred said bitingly.

"—and we were wondering if you would be so kind as to explain to us what your relationship is with him."

Felicity had turned her head to look at each as they talked, as if she was watching a tennis match. Bemused, she shrugged. "Sure. He's my cousin."

The ginger-haired boys looked horror-struck. "Your cousin?" they exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah," Felicity said slowly, as if talking to a couple of toddlers. "His mom is my mom's sister. That makes him my cousin."

"Don't you get smart with us!" Fred snarled.

George frowned. "So you're a Black?"

"Yep. My mom is Emilia Byrd, Narcissa Malfoy's twin sister."

"Who?" Fred demanded. "I was never aware of another Black sister—"

"—and we know our pureblood family trees fairly well" George added quietly (he didn't add that they only knew Malfoy's family tree because it had so many Death Eaters on it).

The girl sighed exasperatedly. "My mom was removed from the family tree when she ran away to America after graduating from here. But her sisters accepted her back when she married a pureblood wizard whose ancestry can be traced back further than the 1200s. Haven't you heard of the Byrds?"

"Come to think of it, I think we have" George said, looking at Fred.

His twin ignored him. "If you're related to the Malfoys, and chummy with them to boot, then how" Fred pounded the table with his fist, "do you expect us to believe that you're tolerant to our cousin? She's a pureblood, but she's a blood traitor!" Felicity didn't flinch once. She just massaged her temples as she said, "You know, the whole 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' thing is getting a bit old."

"ANSWER THE QUESTION, WOMAN! HOW DO YOU EXPECT US TO BELIEVE YOU GET ALONG WITH OUR COUSIN _AND_ THE BLOODY MALFOYS?"

"Because they know about my muggle tolerance, but have decided to ignore it" she replied calmly. "Auntie Narcissa and Uncle Lucius are just hoping it's a phase, and their 'dear Draco' will be a good influence on me and get me to change," she scoffed.

"How are we supposed to know if you're not just _using_ MJ?" Fred exclaimed.

"What the heck would I be using her for?" the sixth year sounded outraged.

George shrugged. "Perhaps you just want to rebel against your family?"

"Or make her THINK you are best friends, and then HUMILIATE her in front of the other Slytherins!"

Felicity blinked, and then proceeded to crack up. "You really think—hehe—I would spend all my years in the Salem Witches Institute—ha—being her best friend, just—to—TRICK HER?" She wiped a tear out of her eye, chuckling. "Seriously, I like pranking as much as the next guy," she jerked her thumb towards George at this, "but THAT would just be _ridonkulous_."

George shrugged at Fred, as if to say, "She's got a point". His twin frowned.

"Fine" he said between clenched teeth. "But that doesn't mean we won't be watching you."

"It's not anything personal," George piped up, "it's just that you're a Slytherin."

Shrugging and sighing tiredly, Felicity replied, "Fine. Just don't be creepy with watching me."

Just as Fred was about to retort, they heard a shuffling noise behind them. The twins whirled around to see MJ coming into the room from where they had entered.

She looked surprised, and then smiled at them. "Hey guys! Whassup? Are we having a passage party?"

"How did you—" Fred started as MJ pulled up a chair across from her best friend.

"Didn't Lis tell you we were going to meet here after settling into our rooms?" MJ asked looking at the Slytherin confusedly.

"No she didn't" George frowned. "Aren't you worried that you'll get caught?"

"Not really. It's kind of exciting to be a rebel." MJ grinned.

George gasped. "Who are you—"

"—and what have you done with our cousin?" Fred cried. "We never thought a goody two shoes like you would be a rebel! We thought you would take what we call _'The Percy Path.'_"

Felicity smiled knowingly (MJ had already told her about Prefect Percy the Prat). "I have trained her well." Then she looked at her watch. "And now I must be off. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum here," she said pointing towards the boys "didn't let me even get settled in my room. So unless all my roommates are all extremely nice Slytherin girls," (Fred snorted), "I'm going to get in trouble for being out late." Getting up to leave, she bent over and gave MJ a one-armed hug before heading toward the door.

She turned around once she reached the doorway, "Nice chatting with you two," she smiled genuinely at the twins. Then, she was gone.

Fred and George finally sank into two chairs across from MJ. "So what do you guys think of her?" MJ asked, trying to sound casual.

Fred scowled. "I think—"

"—she's a lovely person" George interrupted as he kicked his twin from under the table, earning him a rude gesture when MJ wasn't looking. "For a Slytherin" he added as an afterthought. He knew MJ really wanted them to like her friend. Fred knew this too; that's why they would treat her like family.

_When MJ's looking, that_ _is_, Fred thought.

**End Chapter 2**


	4. To the Hospital Wing

It's Chapter 3! Roommates are established here, as well as a few memories. And guess who ends up in the hospital wing already? This chapter shall be full of fun! Can we get a "

WHAT WHAAAAT"?

*crickets chirp*

Fine, be that way. *sniff* Leave a review; make us feel better. And thanks to all those that have reviewed already! =D

Sorry for the longness since we last updated. Technical difficulties. =(

Disclaimer: We, unfortunately, do not own AVPM. The same goes for HP, yo. That's all J.K.'s.

**Chapter 3**

Third Person POV

It was just about time for breakfast to start. Felicity woke up in her dorm to the sound of hushed voices and quiet snickering. She sat up and stretched; yawning as she did so. Immediately, the whispering and cackling the curtains around her bed, Felicity noticed that Gwen wasn't there; she must have gone down to breakfast early. She saw the Carrow sisters sitting next to each other on one of their beds (Lis wasn't sure which ones'). The twins both put on strange looks of horror upon seeing her. She raised her eyebrow. "Good morning?" She said uncertainly."YOUR HAIR!" One of the girls exclaimed as she pointed at Felicity's head. The other looked like she was trying not to laugh."What about it?" Felicity asked, not bothering to run her fingers through it; it was probably just a tangled mess."Well, look and see for yourself" the better composed twin newly-awakened girl went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Hestia and Flora, who had followed her, watched her face closely, looking almost excited to see her reaction."Huh" Felicity said, frowning, "That's never happened before."The girls looked disappointed at their newly hairless roommate's response . "Well, that Securn girl must have done it" one told shook her head. "I doubt it."The other twin (or was it the same one? Felicity wasn't paying attention) scoffed. "You don't know her as well as we do."_That's what _they _think,_ Felicity other one leaned in and sniffed Felicity's shiny, bald, head. "That smells like irreversible hair removal potion" she observed quickly. Felicity smirked inwardly, she knew that potion well, and it had no scent. The twin was bluffing."It may take weeks for your hair to grow!" the other twin (or it may have been the same one) cried in a voice that sounded like she was _trying_ not to sound gleeful, but failing at it."Nah," Felicity said. Then she screwed up her face, looking as if she was trying to remember something she had forgotten. The Carrow twins watched in horror as curly, green hair began growing out of Felicity's head. It stopped when it had just passed her shoulders."There, that's better." The green-haired girl smiled at her reflection, and then frowned. "Hm... I think I should..." She screwed up her face again, and soon enough, her emerald green hair had bright orange highlights in it. Nodding approvingly at her reflection she said, "Yes, that's more like it".Hestia and Flora were still standing in the bathroom doorway, dumbstruck as Felicity strode back into the dorm to feed her rat familiar, Zurina. Hestia looked at Flora. "You've got to be joking" she said in disbelief. Flora shook her head. "She's a bloody metamorphmagus!"

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MJ's POV

_Gotta hurry, gotta hurry, gotta hurry!_ "C'mon, Sadie!" I yelled over my shoulder as I made a sharp turn at a then—oh, hi there, Reader! You're probably curious as to why I am running like there's no tomorrow with Sadie. Well, allow me to explain:

Cue Flashback!_Just as the handsome stranger was about to kiss my hand—_Wait, wait, CUT! We need to go back a bit farther. The passage, to be precise...

_"Checkmate! I win again!" Fred cried triumphantly.I flopped against the back of my seat. "Darn it! Wizard's Chess is HARD!"_

_George laughed at my pouty-face from his chair and stretched. "What time is it?" he asked his twin._

_"Only 3:03" Fred announced after checking his watch.I froze in mid-yawn. "What?"Shrugging, George responded, "We stay up this late quite regularly during the school year. What's wrong with you?""Unlike you two, I don't do well as a zombie! I need SLEEP!" I shrieked, dashing out the I was out of earshot, I heard Fred say, "She'll be fine."I'd better be! If I wasn't I would blame him._

Obviously, by now, I was blaming him. Now let me tell you what happened that morning..._I was dancing with a tall stranger. The man was wearing all black with a matching mask that covered his hair and the upper part of his face, so I couldn't tell who he was. We were waltzing in a crowded garden, and then we suddenly stopped. Just as the handsome stranger was about to kiss my hand-"WE'RE LATE!"_

Apparently, Tamsin Applebee (a girl I chatted briefly with at the feast) and Heidi Macavoy (another roommate) had decided to go down to breakfast without waking up Sadie Stevenson (my third roomie) and me. We were lucky Starburst, my cat familiar, mewed and woke up Sadie, although now we had to rush like heck.

I glanced down at my watch as I ran toward the bulletin board in the Entrance Hall where our schedules would have been left for us. _AH! Only 5 minutes until class!_I skidded to a halt in front of the board and snatched my schedule off of it. _Care of Magical Creatures first. _Sadie screeched to a halt next to me.

"Care of Magical Creatures," I stated. "Lead the way, roomie!"I started running with her towards the door that led outside. Neither of us made it very far before we ran into a wall. _Oof!_ I fell over, banging my head hard._ How could we run into a wall...?_I looked up slowly._ Wait... walls don't wear Slytherin robes..._

Then everything went dark.

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Lis' POV

It was almost time for Transfiguration. I would be late if I didn't hurry. As I speed-walked up the stairs to the Entrance Hall, I mused over MJ's absence at breakfast. Gwen had suggested that she had gotten up early to eat. Yeah right. I was trying not to worry. And she had certainly missed an eventful breakfast…

_After I put my brightly-colored hair in a messy bun, I left my two grumbling roommates and went down to eat breakfast at the Slytherin table. I situated myself between Gwen and Pansy Parkinson (Draco's not-quite girlfriend), with Draco and Willis across from me. We were eating the delicious food that the house-elves made._

_Anyways, the owls were soon flying in to deliver the mail. None of them flew to me or Willis, because Draco shared the Malfoys' eagle owl with us for the mail. Our parents' owl flew to and from England and America, and then the Malfoys' owl flew to and from Hogwarts and their Manor._

_I reached over to get our first-day-of-school-letters from our parents, and accidentally knocked over Draco's pumpkin juice._

_"Now look what you did! I would've handed it to you!" Draco exclaimed._

_"Sor-_ry_! At least it only spilled on the table!"_

_"Yeah, all over MY mail!"_

_I rolled my eyes. "Well I'll just clean it up!"_

_I didn't want to use a basic cleaning spell. Last time I did that... let's just say it would've been hard to grow my eyebrows back if I wasn't a metamorphmagus. So I figured I'd just summon some toilet paper to soak it up, (seeing as how I'd never seen paper towels in this school)._

_"Are you going to clean it up or not?" Draco growled. I snapped out of my thoughts._

_"Yes, Mr. Impatient. I'll just summon some toilet paper." I saw Pansy drop her fork out of the corner of my eye. Raising my wand, I shouted, "Accio-"_

_"NOOOO!" Pansy cried._

_"-toilet paper!" I finished, ignoring her._

_Pansy let out a bloodcurdling scream._

_In less then two seconds I had toilet paper in my outstretched left hand. I blinked. "Well that was fast."_

_I felt a shove from my left side. I looked over at Pansy. "I HATE YOU!" She screeched before storming out of the Great Hall._

_The whole Slytherin table burst into laughter, along with a few Ravenclaws at the next table._

_I looked at Gwen confusedly. "What's so funny?"_

_Alas, she was laughing so hard she could only shake her head._

_I turned to Draco. He looked a bit more composed. He shook his head as well before he commenced to laughing like a loon._

_"WHAT?" I cried._

_Gwen gasped, "Pansy... toilet paper... shirt-stuffer.. HAHA!"_

_I furrowed my brow. Then it clicked._

_Ohhh. Ew! I dropped the toilet paper._

I think Pansy is going to be mad at me for a loooong time. How was I supposed to know she... Ugh.

Why didn't she just use an illusion charm?Once I entered the Entrance Hall (go figure. I _entered _the _Entrance _Hall; geddit? See that was a joke-aw, never mind...), I came upon a sickening sight. MJ was on the ground, unconscious, at the feet of a HUGE seventh year Slytherin boy, who I recognized as the Captain of the Quidditch team. I think his name was Capulet. Or was it Montague...?

He was holding another dazed-looking Hufflepuff by the hood with one hand, and pointing his wand at MJ's chest with the other, sneering. "Stupid little Hufflepuffs. I'll teach you to ram into me..."I drew my wand that I kept in my hair. This was going to be fun...

xxxxxxxxxxx

Hello, ladies and gents! It's Fred again. George and I were getting ready to head down the marble staircase to the Entrance Hall. First, we were going to head down to the kitchens for something to eat because we missed breakfast (but we'd have to book it if we wanted to make it to Herbology). Then, we were preparing a… _surprise_ for our dear caretaker, Mr. Argus Filch after class.

Don't look at me like that! We were only going to leave him some Whizzing Worms in his office…

Anyways, we were almost at the stairs when we saw something that made _me_ see _red_.

Montague, a massive Slytherin, was holding a Hufflepuff in one hand, and pointing his wand at MJ, who was lying on her back in the middle of the Hall with the other. George drew in a sharp breath next to me.

But before we could rush down and save our cousin, we saw some bird pointing her wand at Montague from the side of the Hall that was nearest the entrance to the dungeons.

"Wait a minute!" George said, throwing out his arm to stop me. "What's that girl doing?"

xxxxxxxxxxxx

And now, we shall reveal what is going on in my-George's-head! Normally, if someone I cared about was being threatened, I'd pummel them right then and there. But this other girl pointing her wand at Montague caused me to pause. Not only could I see that she was a Slytherin from the green in her robes, but she had bright green hair with orange streaks in it. It was quite bizarre.

"Hey!" she shouted angrily.

Montague looked up at her. I could hear the sneer in his voice, "Really? You want to _fight _me?" He peered at the wand she was pointing at him.

"You bet" she nastily replied.

"Why?"

"Picking on a girl is one thing. But picking on a girl that's three years below you? Pathetic!"

Those words sounded vaguely familiar. I racked my brains to figure out where I had heard them before...

Meanwhile, Montague was taking off his robe, as if preparing to duel. The other Hufflepuff-who I now recognized as Stevenson-was leaning against a wall, looking like she might puke. As soon as Montague took his eyes off the green-haired teenager, she flicked her wand at him. Next thing I knew, Montague's underpants were being pulled up from under his pants, causing him to cry out in pain and throw himself on the floor in a crumpled ball. The girl immediately rushed over to stand in front of MJ. I could now see that my cousin was out cold.

At this point, Fred and I rushed down the stairs, sliding down the railing. When we reached the bottom, Montague was struggling to stand up, clutching his backside.

"What was that?" he demanded furiously as we grabbed MJ and pulled her away towards the stairs.

"I call it a wedgy jinx" the mystery girl replied coolly.

"No, I mean attacking a member of your own house when he's not looking! That's insane!"

"Oh, _that_." She made a show of looking contemplative. "You know, I was under the impression that you weren't really being _sane_; attacking a fourth year girl and all."

Montague snarled and quickly limped off toward the dungeons.

"And don't bother reporting me!" she called after him. "I have ways to make you regret it."

It was then that I recognized the girl's voice. But it couldn't be…

Sure enough, when she turned around to look at us, it was Byrd.

"We better take them both up to the hospital wing" she said tiredly. "It looks like she hit her head real bad" she gestured toward a bump that was forming on the back on MJ's head, "and I think this one is in shock," she pointed at Stevenson.

"I'll get MJ," I told Fred. "You grab Stevenson."

"Um..." Fred hesitated as I picked up my limp cousin bridal style. "Well, why don't you?"

"Cuz I've got MJ!" I answered.

"Wanna trade?"

"NO!"

"Just grab her, for Merlin's sake, before I do!" Felicity told him. "What's your problem?"

"Well..." Fred started. "She kinda frightens me a bit."

"Why?"

"She just does!"

"Grab. Her. NOW!" Felicity growled.

"FINE!" Fred picked her up in a fireman's carry (whatever a fireman is, anyway) and started hurriedly up the stairs. Byrd and I walked with him, me still carrying my cousin.

"What happened to your hair?" Fred asked her bluntly.

She shrugged. "I'm a metamorphmagus. I like to change my hair color every day."

I halted halfway up the second staircase. "You're a…"

It all clicked.

"_Not only are you picking on a girl" a little purple-haired first year Slytherin said, pointing her wand at a fourth year Flint, who was, in turn, pointing his wand at a cowering first year Katie Bell, "but she's THREE YEARS below you! That's just pathetic!"_

_In the blink of an eye, Flint's underpants were yanking themselves up from under his pants. With a shout of agony, Flint clutched his backside and stumbled off. Before Katie could thank her, the Slytherin girl had walked off._

"_Who is she?" Fred asked me. The rest of the people that had seen what had happened were murmuring similar things._

"_Isn't it that girl whose hair is a different color every day?" I responded._

"_Yeah! I think so! She always keeps to herself…"_

_"Yeah, when she's not with that other Slytherin girl that everyone avoids..."_

My twin's voice yanked me back to the present. "Aren't metamorphmaguses really rare?"

"Yeah" she answered. "The only other one I've ever met is my cousin, Dora."

Tonks! I forgot she was related to her too. And that means she's also closely related to Sirius...

"And it's Metamorphma_gi_" she was telling Fred.

I looked over at my doppelganger. "Fred, do you—"

"Yeah, yeah", he said impatiently. "I remember her now. We need to keep going though."

"Right." I trudged on with them.

"You guys remember me?" Byrd sounded confused.

"Oh I'm sure everyone will remember you when they see your batty hair," Fred told her.

"No one really understood why you stood up for Katie since you were a Slytherin, so we all just backed off. Not to mention that you were always hanging around that other girl-"

"You mean Gwen?"

"Yeah, her. _Everyone's_ scared of her for some reason."

Lis chuckled to herself darkly but said nothing.

We were almost to the Hospital Wing, when we met another Slytherin right outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. _Malfoy_.

He halted on his way in, causing our little group to stop in front of him. "Felicity! You should be in class! You don't want to get in trouble on your first day!" he scowled at Fred and I. "And why are you hanging out with the _Weasels_?"

She glared at him. "Can't you see that MJ and her friend are hurt?"

He looked a bit startled when he realized Fred and I were carrying bodies. "Well… it looks like they have it taken care of! I thought your parents wanted you to set a good example for Willis?"

She looked like she was struggling for an excuse, but then she sighed, defeated. "Alright. I'll get going." Malfoy looked pleased.

I wondered who Willis was. I made a mental note to ask MJ later.

She turned to us. "If she wakes up, tell her I'll visit her later, ok?"

Fred frowned, but I nodded. "Sure."

She gave me a weak grin. "Thanks" she said, and then she was on her way.

Malfoy glared at us one more time. I got the feeling he wanted to say something to us, but decided against it before ducking into his class. Then we were on our way to the Hospital Wing again.

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MJ's POV

Let me tell you; feigning unconsciousness is NOT easy. I had woken up hearing one of my cousins asking Lis about her hair as another one carried me. I didn't want them to know I was awake yet, so I could see how they treated her. Apparently they remembered her from the first year she was here. I hoped it was a good thing. And it took ALL of my willpower not to pummel Malfoy when he called my cousins Weasels.

That jerk.

Anyways, I staged a real good wake-up scene once they settled me into a bed in the Hospital Wing.

"Where am I?" I cried, sitting up.

I shouldn't have done that. My head felt like someone had run over it with a bus!

I slowly laid back down as Madame Pomfrey fluttered around gathering potions and things.

"How do you feel?" George asked me gently.

"Like I fell down and hit my head" I sarcastically replied.

Fred grinned. "She's going to be alright."

"How's Sadie?" I asked.

"She's passed out next to you," Fred replied.

Madame Pomfrey scuttled back over and made a shoo-ing motion at the twins. "Off to class, you two!"

"Yes, Ma'am" they answered simultaneously. They were almost at the door when George turned around real quick. "Hey, MJ?" Fred stopped for a moment, then changed his mind and headed out.

"Yeah?"

"Who's Willis?"

I was surprised that he even cared about someone Malfoy mentioned. "Lis' little brother" I

answered. "He's a first year."

"Ah." And with that, he was gone.

I didn't have time to ponder George's question before Madame Pomfrey said, "Now drink this, dear…"

… I had to ponder why on earth the stupid potion tasted so NASTY! It was like... broken computer. Yuck.

**End Chapter 3**


	5. Breaking a Lot of Rules

**Chapter 4**

Hello. It's about time I got to tell some of the story. I _am _a central character, after all. The name's Malfoy.

_Draco _Malfoy.

No one knew how Montague had ended up in the Hospital Wing on the first day of

school.

"You mean you're not even curious about it?"

"Nope!" Lis said, pouring herself some pumpkin juice to go with her dinner. I convinced her to sit with me instead of at the _Hufflepuff_ table like she did at lunch.

Felicity started humming to herself as she cut her ham. She seemed happy about something.

Too happy.

I looked at her closely, "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you, Felicity?"

Lis assumed a mock insulted expression, "Me? _Me_ put someone in the Hospital eating his meals through a bendy straw and re-growing his toenails? You honestly think I'd actually-"

"No, Felicity, I didn't-"

But Lis ignored my protests and stormed out of the Hall. When she reached the door she suddenly burst into laughter.

_She's so...odd._

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Lis' POV

Don't look at me like that! It's really too bad Montague didn't take me seriously when I told him not to report me. As soon as he tried... Alas.

I passed Willis in the Entrance Hall. His dark brown hair was falling into his grey-blue eyes, so he flicked it out of the way. Other than his hair color, he looks like a mini Draco.

"Morning, Lissy." He nodded at me. Since he was with a group of friends, I grabbed him and hugged him like the embarrassing older sister that I am.

"Morning, Willy!" I chirped.

"Felicity!" he hissed. "I have a reputation!"

Gee, he even SOUNDS like Draco.

"What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" I asked. "It's the first day! You don't have a rep yet."He pouted as I released him. "Don't ruin my childish hopes and dreams!"I laughed. That was something I said, and I got it from Gwen. He ducked into the Great Hall when I tried to ruffle his hair.

I decided to go to the library. I love libraries. The smell of books, the quiet; it's just so calm and relaxing. But then it can also be exciting; especially if you find a really awesome book. It's like going on an adventure without leaving the immediate area!Whoa. I just spewed some cheesy stuff right there. Uh… Moving on...Once I entered the library I spotted one of the Weasley twins in a corner with some Gryffindor chick. As I looked through the books in the Magical Creatures section, I vaguely wondered which twin was with that girl and where the other one soon as I found the book I was searching for, I heard the girl with the twin whisper passionately, "Fred...""Angelina..." he whispered in reply.I resisted the urge to turn around and tell them to get a then, I saw a flash of orange hair on the other side of the bookshelf. I peeked between two books to see the other twin, George. He was holding a piece of parchment while brushing his hand against all the books he could reach and muttering under his breath.I scooted around the shelf and leaned against it, facing his back. "You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."Stiffening, he stood still for a moment. Then, he surreptitiously folded the paper he was holding and put it in his robe pocket, but not before I saw that it was a cluttered-looking map of the school. "Fancy meeting you here" he said smoothly as he turned to face me. He mimicked my position, except he crossed his arms."Looking for something? Like...the other entrance to a secret passageway?" I suggested sweetly.I thought I saw his cheeks turn the _slightest _shade of pink. But he said, "I beg your pardon?"See, I knew he wouldn't have been able to open it from the inside last night; you needed the key. I had all copies of that. But from the outside... well, I would show him.

Beckoning him to follow me, I strode over to the restricted section, ducking under the rope. George was right behind me. I walked over to the 4th bookcase. On a shelf level to my chest, there was a life-size bust of Merlin. I turned to George, "Ok, this will blow your mind," I whispered excitedly. With him curiously watching, I stuck my wand up the stone Merlin's left nostril, and stepped back as the bookcase revolved once, stopping after a full to my right, I saw that George was standing there dumbfounded. "You're welcome" I told him as I patted his shoulder and handed him a duplicate of the key for getting out. "Just make sure you step onto the stairs at the right time, or you'll be smushed" I called softly over my shoulder as I left the library.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Hey! My cousin's point of view just interrupted mine, didn't it? I was in the middle of _my _story! Father will hear of this...

_Anyways_, I didn't worry too much about Lis' odd behavior. I accepted a LONG time ago that I would never understand women.

Later that day, since I arrived late to dinner, I didn't get nearly enough food to last me until breakfast the next day.

It was time to visit the kitchens.

Lis told me how to get into the kitchens before my first year at Hogwarts. She never told me how she learned about it though…

Rounding the corner, I collided with an unknown object.

"Oof!"

Wait, objects don't make sounds…

I looked down. There, sprawled out on the floor, was Lis' friend, MJ Quarters. She

looked a lot better than she had this morning.

You know, when she was unconscious.

"Watch where you're going!" I snarled. She was probably injured worse than I was, though; I only had the wind knocked out of me.

Shakily, she stood up. "I could say the same to you, bud!" she ground out, rubbing the back of her head.

We stood there looking at each other for a moment. I was struck by how tall she was for a fourth year. No wonder I had thought she was older than me; she was almost eye-level with me! And I'm tall for my age.

"Hufflepuff, huh?" I sneered. "Is this why Felicity mentioned your sorting?"

Quarters shook her head. "Nah, she thought I'd be in Gryffindor for sure," she replied casually."Really? Why?"

"Why don't you ask her?" she snapped. "And where the heck did _you _think I would be placed anyway?"

I raised an eyebrow and leaned against the wall, crossing my arms across my chest. "Ooh, _not _very friendly. And I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're in Hufflepuff; that's where they put you when you're too _stupid _for Ravenclaw, too _cowardly _for Gryffindor, and _not pureblood enough_ for Slytherin."

She rolled her eyes. "You really _are _a piece of work. So whatcha doing?" her tone had changed, she now sounded cheerful. What was wrong with her? I was giving her my best, most intimidating Malfoy glare! And I just insulted her! What in the world-?

"Uh… just patrolling the corridors" I answered. "I _am _a prefect after all." I straightened up.

She wouldn't know that if I _was_ on patrol, I'd be near _my_ common room.

"Don't prefects usually patrol near their own House's common room?

Blast.

Thankfully, before I could reply she started blabbing again. "I love all the pictures here" she said, walking over to the fruit painting that I had been heading to before she got in my way. "That pear looks good enough to eat…" she reached out to touch it.

I gasped. "AH! Don't touch tha—"

It was too late. The pear squirmed at her touch and the portrait swung open to reveal the kitchens. MJ stared, wide-eyed. "What is this?" she asked in wonder.

Again, I had no chance to reply before she squealed, "Oh look! House-elves!" and ran in.

Oh brother.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Whaddup? It's MJ again and, oh my gosh! This place is _amazing_! You want some sliced pineapple? BAM! a house-elf hands it to you. You ask for some ice cream? BAM! ya got some. Flan cake? BAM! there ya go (and I don't even know what flan cake is!). Lis had told me about the kitchens, but she never told me how to get in. I was very glad that

Draco had unwittingly led me to it.

Speaking of Draco, _someone_ looked quite pouty…

"What's your problem?" I asked him as I bit into some _delicious_ custardy-chocolatey thing. I think it was the flan cake.

"Nothing" he snapped. "We're just _not supposed to be here_ is all! The kitchen is _forbidden_ to students! I'm a _prefect_! If I get _caught_ in here—"

I held up a hand, halting his whining. "Wait a minute. Let me read between the lines here—"

"We need to LEAVE!"

I shook my head. "No, _that's_ not what you're getting at!"

He sighed in exasperation as I moved to sit under a lamp so I could better see the pretty design on my plate. As I examined the intricate design of the badger (it was obviously a Hufflepuff plate), I felt a sudden tug on a piece of my hair. Jumping away from the culprit, I dropped the plate and it shattered to pieces.

"WHAT THE HECK, DUDE?" I shrieked at Draco as a house-elf hurried over to gather the chunks of plate. "_Reparo!"_ I hastily exclaimed so that the house-elf wouldn't have so much to clean up. The kindly creature nodded its head in thanks as it scurried off with the plate. I then turned to the snotty Slytherin that had yet to answer for his unwarranted action. "WELL?" I demanded.

He was gazing at me with a slight look of contempt. "Your hair…"

"Yes, very good, Draco. This—"I pointed to my head, "—is hair! _Well done!_" My voice was dripping in sarcasm.

He ignored my comments. "When you stepped into the light I noticed that… it has _red_ in it."

"Yeah, and?"

"And you also have freckles."

"Is there a point to this inventory?"

He then gestured to my feet. "And those look like _hand-me-down_ shoes."

I threw my hands in the air. "They used to be Lis'! So sue me! What. Is. Your. _Point_, boy?"

"Well, it all adds up. Felicity thought you would be in Gryffindor. Reddish hair. Hand-me-down shoes and a _stupid _complexion. You must be a—"

Before he could tell me what I must be, the portrait swung open again. A familiar red-head walked in with a girl and another guy. The girl had slightly bushy brown hair, and the boy had raven-colored hair and glasses. All three froze once they saw Draco and me.

"MJ?" my cousin asked confusedly. I hadn't had much of a chance to hang out with him yet. I'd have to put that on my to-do list. But right now, he was awaiting an explanation...

"Uh…" I knew he hated Malfoy. And even if I didn't know that, I think the way he was glaring at him would have clued me in. So I did the most logical thing I could think of: I ran over to Ron, leaped into his arms Scooby-Doo and Shaggy style (we did that a lot when we were kids), and cried, "Thank heaven you've come! That freak was tugging on my hair!"

"He WHAT?" Ron (gently) set me down and reached for his wand. I stopped him.

"Wait!" I didn't really want him to get hurt fighting Draco. "Let's just leave. No need to get in trouble."

"She's right, Ron" the brown-haired girl piped up. Glasses-boy looked a bit disappointed.

"You leave my cousin alone, Malfoy, you hear?" Ron bellowed as I held him back. The girl ran up to help me, grabbing his other arm. "Come on, Ron!"

While we were occupied with him, apparently glasses-guy pulled out his wand. Next thing we knew, Draco was up against the wall. Ron took our shock as an opportunity to pull free and grab him by the front of his collar.

"Let me go, you oaf!" Draco struggled against Ron's hold.

"WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS TOWARD MY COUSIN?"

"RON!" I yelled. "Leave Draco alone! _I_ was bothering _him, _ok? I was bored!"

At this, Ron let go of Draco and shoved him away. "You _know_ him?" he asked incredulously. "What have I told you about him?"

"You talk about me?" Draco said, rubbing his collar bone where Ron had shoved him. He sneered sarcastically. "I'm touched, Weasley."

"Shut it, you! What did I tell you MJ?" my cousin persisted.

I sighed tiredly. "Do I really have to recite it _now_?"

"Yes" said Ron stubbornly.

"Ok" I started narrating in a sing-song voice, "He's a foul git."

Ron held up one finger.

"He has no business even _existing_."

Ron put up a second finger.

"He's a muggle-hating pureblood."

Another finger.

"You sure talk about me a lot, Weasel."

I ignored him and went on. "And he's a nasty bit of slime."

Fourth finger. "Very good." Ron said. "But you _didn't_ stay away from him like I told you

to. Why?"

"Because he's, uh…" I muttered unintelligibly.

"He's what?"

"He's…" I coughed "Lis' cousin…"

"He's what?"

Draco looked puzzled, "What does Felicity being my cousin have to do with this?"

Ron frowned. "Felicity? You mean, your best friend, Felicity?" his frown started to diminish. "Is she here?"

"Why does Weasley suddenly look so happy? And how does he know her?"

"No reason!" my cousin quickly replied.

"He met her at my house. He has a crush on her" I replied shrugging.

Ron gasped, scandalized. "YOU _PINKY-SWORE!_ You can't DO that! There's a RULE!"

Oops. "Well _apparently_, I'm breaking a _lot _of rules today, aren't I?" I was fed up with his attitude. As I stormed out, I heard Draco say, "STAY AWAY FROM MY COUSIN, YOU BLOOD-TRAITOR!"

Normally, I love a good fight as much as the next guy. _But_, it was late, I was tired, and the stupid Potions teacher had assigned a 2-foot-long essay about Pepperup Potion. I just hoped they wouldn't hurt each other too bad—

—since I wasn't going to be there to eat popcorn and watch.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Hey, there. It's Fred Weasley, your friendly Hogwarts prankster. Ron, Harry and Hermione came back to the common room late. They looked exhausted. Looking closer, I observed that Hermione's hair was a bit frizzier than it was when she left, Harry was limping slightly, and Ron was sporting a black eye. I wonder what happened to them…

xxxxxxxxxxx

George here; the better-looking prankster.

"Oi! What happened to you lot?" I called to my brother and his friends.

Hermione just stormed up to the girls' dormitories. Ron and Harry simply waved me off. "Rather not talk about it" Ron mumbled. He then followed Harry up to their room.

What could have happened to _them_?

xxxxxxxxxxx

Ciao. It's Lis. And yes, 'ciao' means 'hello' _and _'goodbye'.

I may have just taught you something.

You're welcome.

"There you are!" I frowned at Draco from my position slouched on a couch as he entered the Slytherin common room. His hair was in disarray and he was sporting a bump on his head and a bruise on his jaw. Not only that, but he was clutching his wrist to his chest and massaging it.

"What happened to _you_?"

"Nothing!" he snapped. With that, he stormed up the stairs to the boys' dorm.

Hmm… highly suspect...

**End Chapter 4**


	6. Blood Traitors

**Chapter 5**

Bonjour, it's me again, Felicity. I was singing as I walked to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Nobody was in the corridor (but even if there were I would have been singing anyway)._"I tooold the witch doctor you didn't love me truuue; I tooold the witch doctor you DIDN'T love me niiice; and-_""FELICITY!"I froze in the middle of the empty Entrance Hall, and waited for Draco to catch up, without turning to look at he reached me, I noticed that he looked much better than he did last night—there was no sign of the bump on his head. "Why didn't you tell me she was a Weasley?" he demanded.I decided to play dumb. "Who?" I asked innocently, flipping my jet-black hair out of my eyes."You know who."I gasped dramatically. "You-Know-Who is related to the Weasleys?"

"Felicity" he growled.

I exhaled heavily. "Because I knew you'd be mad and start lecturing me."

At that moment, I spotted Montague coming down the stairs. Talk about a speedy recovery! I waved cheerfully to him.

He froze with a horror-struck look on his face, and then proceeded to run back up the stairs.

"What's up with him?" Draco asked me, curiously watching Montague flee.

I shrugged, trying not to snicker. "Beats-hehe-me."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh..." I floundered. "ANYWAYS, why were you all beat up last night?"

"Don't change the subject!" he barked, arms crossed over his robes. "I can't BELIEVE you didn't tell your OWN COUSIN that your BEST FRIEND is a WEASLEY!"

I looked down at the floor and assumed a look appropriate to a child who had just spilled their milk and was thoroughly ashamed of it. "... Sorry."

He sighed. "A blood traitor. I still can't believe it... MJ's a Weasley?" he whined again.

"And to think, I tried to ask her out!""YOU _WHAT?"_ said a new -oh.

I was just going out on a limb, but I had a feeling things were about to get messy.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Hi, Readers. It's MJ again. I winced as my cousin shouted. Talk about your rotten timing. Why did he have to walk me to breakfast? Why?

_Flashback_

_I exited the Hufflepuff common room, singing, _"Rising up! Back on the streeeet; did my time, took my chaaanceees. Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet, just a—"

_I froze: For there was Ron and his friends from last night, waiting for me. I was pleased to see that they didn't bear signs of an epic fight (since I had missed it)._

"_Well, hi!" I greeted them._

"_SOMEONE has some explaining to do!" Ron snarled angrily, crossing his arms._

_I scoffed. "You sure do! I've been here for two and a half days, and you haven't even introduced your friends!"_

_His expression clearing, he turned to his friends, "Oh, well you see this is—WAIT A MINUTE!" he roared, whipping back around to face me. "DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!"_

_The girl shook her head and reached out her hand. "I'm Hermione Granger" she told me as we shook hands. She then gestured to glasses-dude. "And this is Harry. Harry Potter."_

"_Harry Potter?" I squealed. Then I realized how fangirl-ish I must have sounded. "I mean, uh… that's a nice name" I recovered. He looked amused._

"_I'm MJ" I told both of them. "Just in case my DEAR cousin" I glared at Ron, "hadn't told you."_

_He stood there, arms crossed the whole time. "Well now that we've exchanged pleasantries" he snarled, "let's get down to—"_

"_Can we walk and talk?" I interrupted. "I'm starving."_

"_FINE!" he snapped._

_So we started walking._

_"I can't BELIEVE you didn't tell me she was a MALFOY!" he shouted at me as we meandered down the passage._

_I sighed. "Can you yell any louder? I'm sure there are still a couple of people on the top floor that didn't hear you."_

_He glared, but the next time he spoke it went down a few decibels. "So why didn't you tell me when I met her last summer?"_

_"Because I knew you'd freak! Duh!" Hermione snorted beside me as we strolled on. _

_"Good call" she murmured._

_I noticed that Harry seemed a bit tense. I'm guessing he hates Malfoy _almost _as much as Ron._

_"Besides" I said treading along, "she's not _really _related to the Malfoys; her mom was a Black."_

_"Her mum is a Black?" Harry sounded really interested._

_"Yeah" I told him. "She has three sisters, I think."_

_"Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Andromeda?"_

_"Yeah! That's it. And Narcissa is her mom's twin sister-" I frowned at him. "Wait, how _

_do you know so much about them?"_

_"Uh..." he suspiciously avoided eye contact._

_"Most pureblood families are well-known" Hermione cut in._

_"Really? I don't know a lot of them..."_

_"Yeah, well, maybe it's a British thing!" Ron suggested, much too cheerfully; he was repeating my explanation I used whenever he said something weird. I saw Hermione and _

_Harry wince out of the corner of my eye._

_Before I could say anything, we were in the Entrance Hall and Malfoy was yelling at Lis._

"MJ's a Weasley? And to think I tried to ask her out!"

"YOU _WHAT?"_ Ron -roh.

This was going to get really ugly really, really, really fast.

"I'm... going to go to breakfast," I said trying to sneak away but Ron grabbed me by the collar, his face turning a gorgeous shade of rage red that clashed with his hair.

"He-asked-you-out?" he asked, his voice quiet, which made it sound even scarier than when he yelled.

"Uhh..." I tapped my two pointer fingers together repeatedly, "I don't recall the situation to which you are referring. Perhaps breakfast will jog my memory?"

I gave a nervous laugh although nothing was funny. Aw nuts, this was going to be more horrific than Jason finding out that the 13th was shoved over to Saturday.

xxxxxxxxxxx

The next thing anyone knew was that Ron had tackled Draco and was beating him to a bloody pulp. A crowd of late-rising Hufflepuffs swept Hermione and Harry away from the fight, so they were unable to stop him.

MJ looked over at Felicity as Ron was punching a hollering Draco (who was actually doing a good job of blocking most of the said punches). "Maybe we should stop them before they really hurt each other?"

The two friends looked at each other, then shook their heads as they shrugged simultaneously, saying "Nah!"

They continued watching the two boys brawl, and it wasn't long before Felicity was commentating.

"And look! Diesel Weasel has got The Dragon in a headlock! What will happen next?" Draco was punching Ron in the gut, but to no avail.

And then it wasn't long before MJ had joined in.

"Oh my golly gee, Lis, I don't think anyone could've predicted this turned around! The

Dragon is really fighting back now!" Draco had somehow pinned Ron to the wall, then he kneed him where the sun don't shine. There was a collective groan from the small crowd that had gathered; the boys were the loudest.

"Ooh! Did you SEE that punch thrown by Diesel Weasel? What form!" Felicity cried as

Ron gave Draco a punch that would surely result in a black eye.

"I think the Dragon is going to have a tough time recovering from that one!" MJ agreed.

Harry looked at a horror-struck Hermione and said "Blimey, they're worse than Fred and George" as Felicity and MJ gave up their commentary and took to chanting, "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" as loudly as they could, and the crowd soon joined in the cry.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Yes, it's Draco again. What did I do to deserve this? Weasel attacked ME! Just because he found out about me asking MJ out. So technically, it is HER fault. And my idiotic cousin's. She should have told me in the first place that MJ was a Weasley. THEY'RE not in McGonagall's office getting yelled at. As soon as she turned up in the Entrance Hall, Lis yelled "SCATTER!" and they cowards.

And I have decided that this is the last time I go anywhere without Crabbe or Goyle.

"YOUR BEHAVIOR WAS DESPICABLE! MUGGLE DUELING? I MEAN, REALLY! I-"McGonagall was cut off when that Umbridge woman and Snape entered. "_Hem-hem._

Minerva, you really shouldn't have started without us" the toad-lady simpered. I don't like her much, although I heard she gave Potter detention yesterday, so she couldn't be ALL bad.

"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall sputtered as they joined her on the other side of the desk that had been keeping her from lunging at Weasel and I as she berated us.

Snape raised an eyebrow at her. "As Draco's Head of House, I do believe I have a right—if not a _duty_—to be here, Minerva" he drawled.

"Well of course! But why is Professor Umbridge here?"

"Please, Minerva, call me Dolores" toad-lady said. "And I am here as an eyewitness."

Oh. I hope she didn't see me knee Weasel in the groin… I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat.

"Well then, what happened, Prof-Dolores?" McGonagall grudgingly asked.

Before Umbridge could clear her throat with her usual _Hem-hem_, there was a timid knock on the office door.

McGonagall sighed. "Who is it?" she called impatiently.

"A few more witnesses" a small voice said.

"We don't need anymore" toad-lady told them. "But thank you for your concern."

"Run along!" McGonagall called through the door.

Once the sound of footsteps had faded away in the corridor, Umbridge cleared her throat ("_Hem-hem!_") and began.

"You see, Minerva, from my position atop the balcony over-looking the Entrance Hall, I observed Mr. Malfoy with a Slytherin girl. They were talking, and then Mr. Weasley here came in with Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, and a Hufflepuff girl. Apparently, Mr. Weasley did not like something that was said, and he attacked Mr. Malfoy."

McGonagall pursed her lips and turned to Weasel. "Is this true?"

"Yes, Professor. But Malfoy—"

"I cannot think of anything he could have said that would have warranted such an attack,

Mr. Weasley" Umbridge interjected.

"But he—"

"Mr. Malfoy, do you have anything to add?" Umbridge turned to face me.

I shook my head mournfully, reaching up to hold my hand against my eye where Weasley had punched me. I figured silence might actually work for me this time. And my eye hurt so bad that I was afraid if I opened my mouth, I would vomit all over the rug.

"Very well" McGonagall sighed. "Mr. Weasley, you will be serving a week's worth of detention with me starting tonight. I will see you at 7 o'clock sharp."

Weasel groaned next to me. I would have smirked at him if I didn't feel so sick.

"You two are dismissed" McGonagall said. "I suggest the hospital wing for both of you."

Snape put a hand on my shoulder and went to lead me out. When he opened the door—

"ARGH!"

—in fell MJ Quarters and Lis, one on top of the other.

They looked up sheepishly. Snape raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

Felicity gulped. "Uh… Here, Starburst! Here, kitty, kitty, kitty! Um... " she disentangled herself from MJ and pointed at her. "She lost her cat?"

Oh brother.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Saludos, it's Felicity.

Snape was glaring at me. "Uh… we came to escort them to the hospital wing?" I tried.

After glaring a few more seconds, he sighed. "Go right ahead. But I don't want any more fighting, understood?"

"Perfectly" I nodded.

I grabbed Draco's arm (he was limping slightly) and started down the corridor. MJ kept pace with us.

"This is entirely _your_ fault!" my cousin muttered at me furiously.

"MY fault?"

"Well, it's both of your faults, really" he replied matter-of-factly.

MJ snorted. "How do you figure that one, Malfoy?"

He stiffened, and then muttered something under his breath. I caught something about MJ being too good-looking for her own good, and me withholding information.

Of course, he could have been talking about puking food that was molding in formation for all I knew.

Ron rushed to catch up, and grabbed MJ, dragging her ahead with one arm as he clutched his ribs with his other arm. "Leave my cousin alone, Malfoy!" he spat. "You know her dad was raised by Muggles, don't you?"

I winced. Draco froze. "No, I did not" he responded calmly. I knew he was inwardly appalled, though.

I was about to point out that she technically was a pureblood, even though she had a Muggle-born grandmother, when Ron spoke again.

"She's only a fourth year!" he added over his shoulder, as if hoping that, too, would put Draco off.

My cousin glared at his back as we started walking again. "Excuuuse me! I thought she was a sixth year!"

MJ stopped, causing Ron to stop too. "But you didn't make a pass at me _until_ you found out I was a fourth year" she said confusedly.

I winced as Ron whirled around. "Not helping!" I told MJ.

Ron lunged.

I moved in front of Draco. "CUT IT OUT!" I yelled in Ron's face. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again, alright?"

He glared at me, inches from my face. "I can't trust you either. Bloody Slytherin." He snarled.

I backed up a step. That really stung. I grabbed Draco's arm again and went around Ron, heading for the hospital wing.

"Lis!" MJ called.

"I'll catch up with you later, MJ." I ploughed ahead with Draco.

He looked down at me, almost sadly. He could tell I was hurt.

"Felicity…" he started.

"Don't talk, just walk" I choked out.

We went the rest of the way in silence. Before I left the Hospital Wing, he called to me, causing me to pause at the door.

"What?" I asked.

"Is... is MJ's father a Muggle?"

I sighed. "No, Drake. His mom was a Muggle-born, and when she died his grandparents raised him."

He frowned. "Oh. So MJ's-"

"A pureblood. But she's as big a 'blood traitor-'" (I made quotations with my fingers) "-as the Weasleys."

I then left him to Madame Pomfrey before MJ and Ron could get there. Proceeding to my first class, I realized just how hard this year would be as the best friend of a Hufflepuff.

**End Chapter 5**


	7. You Gonna Hurt Him?

**Chapter 6**

This is ridiculous! I don't even know what Felicity looks like today! Yet here I am-looking for her! The things I do for my family...

Oh, by the way, this George speaking. Sorry about that. And now to explain my troubles: _Flashback"What about this one?" Lee asked out of the corner of his mouth. Fred and I turned to see a small Ravenclaw walking our way. I'd seen her in a few of the 7th year classes I wasn't taking. I took a quick inventory: Long, dark brown hair; big, bright green eyes; pale; short; slim."I give her... an 8.7" I announced after she walked by._ _"Are you kidding me?" Fred snorted. "She's not even CLOSE to an 8.""Really? I give her a 9" Lee told girls is what we do when we are having "inventors-block"; or in this case, when we just need a break. It helps us to relax. And makes us laugh at how different our tastes are._

_"Hey look! Here comes a Hufflepuff" said Lee. "Boy, she's booking it..."And indeed, she was. Wait a minute..."Isn't that MJ?" Fred asked._

_Our cousin dashed across the courtyard and halted right in front of us, panting for breath."Lis... have... you... seen... her?" she frowned. "Your Slytherin friend? No, I and I don't plan to." Fred nodded in agreement.I sighed. They had obviously missed the fact that something was wrong._

_They don't call me the sensitive twin for nothing._

_"What's up, MJ?" I asked was still out of breath. "Really upset... can't... find her..."Fred rolled his eyes. "C'mon, guys, let's get back to work on the Skiving Snack-boxes." Lee followed him towards the main doors._

_I looked at MJ. She looked like she might cry. I hate it when girls cry. Especially when they're girls I care about._

_Argh."I'll help you look for her." I told Flashback_

So here I am. Looking for a girl that could look like anybody. Any girl I came across, I had to go around looking at their face to make sure it wasn't Felicity. MJ had sent me off to the fourth floor and up, while she checked the lower levels of the castle. I was heading towards the library because MJ had said that would be a likely place for her to enough, I found her in a back corner, wrapping her hand. It was bloody. I remembered seeing her trip numerous times back in my second year, so I announced my presence with a"Fall down again, Byrd?"Her head snapped up, her jet-black bangs partially obscuring her eyes. When she saw who it was, she gave me a wry grin. "No, George, I punched a werewolf in the face."My immediate thought was, _Lupin?_I must have looked alarmed, because she said, "Never mind; Muggle book reference" as she went back to wrapping her hand. I couldn't believe she read Muggle books...I leaned on a bookshelf and watched her for a moment. Then I thought of something."How did you know I was George?"

She shrugged without looking up. "It's pretty easy to tell you two apart."

I was thunderstruck. "Really?"

She nodded.

I waited for a moment. She was obviously not in a talkative mood. I tried to find out what had happened. "So… your hand…" I started once she was almost done with her bandaging."... I punched a wall."I blinked. "... You-""Yep" she gave the binding a final tug and leaned against a table."... Why?"Felicity rolled her eyes. "Because I couldn't very well punch your brother's face while MJ was standing right there, now could I?""Fred?" I exclaimed."No; Ron." She looked down at the floor. "He said he couldn't trust me and called me a bloody Slytherin."

This was interesting. "Well, that shouldn't be surprising." I told her. "You know about the House rivalries—"

"Yeah, but no one has ever come out and said something so stupid to my face before!" she interrupted angrily. "I wasn't offended by you and Fred and Lee not trusting me; you only just met me! But Ron hung out with me for almost a whole summer, and he still hated me as soon as he found out I was a Slytherin! I just wish I could've punched him…" she cracked her knuckles, and then winced.

I grimaced as the metamorphmagus gently massaged her hurt hand. "I suggest that next time, you punch something softer. Like Malfoy."

"Ha ha" she laughed sarcastically. Then she sighed and added "I just can't stand it when people are so prejudiced…"

This surprised me. I always thought the Slytherins were the most prejudiced out of all the Houses. Then I realized; she's friends with a _Hufflepuff_; she can't be THAT prejudiced…Not to mention, she rode with a bunch of Gryffindors in the carriage to the castle…

Hm…

"So… you don't hate Gryffindors?"

Her gaze snapped up from the floor to my face, her green-blue eyes sad.

"No, I don't! I just hate that everyone is so biased."

At that moment, MJ rushed around the corner. "LIS!"

"SHHHH!" Madam Pince hissed at her from the other side of the library.

"Sorry" MJ sheepishly muttered. She rushed over to Felicity, who hid her bandaged hand behind her back. "Where have you been?" my cousin sort of whisper-yelled.

"Whatever happened to ME searching up here?" I asked her.

"Well, you see, I saw Malfoy and asked him where Lis was. He sent me this way."

"Malfoy?" I was about to tell her off for talking to scum like him, when I looked at Felicity. She was morosely gazing at the floor again, so I thought better of it.

"Yeah, Malfoy." Then, as if she knew what I was thinking, "Ya gotta problem with that?" my cousin challenged.

I sighed. "I just want you to be careful. Not necessarily because he's a Slytherin" I looked at Felicity, "but because he has been known to be a foul git" I finished gently.

My cousin's friend chuckled darkly. "This is true. That's why I told Ron I'd keep him away from MJ."

"I can take care of myself, Lis! I'm not a little kid!" MJ insisted.

"But he's my cousin." Felicity explained, looking up at her. "And you're my best friend.

And you are younger. Therefore, it is my responsibility to watch out for you and keep him in line."

MJ rolled her eyes. I was impressed. Not a lot of people would go against their families like that, especially if they were purebloods.

I watched the two girls walk off to their next classes. Maybe Felicity Byrd wasn't so bad after all.

I frowned as I exited the library. She never told me how she can tell Fred and me apart...

xxxxxxxxxxx

Never fear, Readers. It is I, MJ, and I am here to tell you: My encounter with Malfoy was quite tame. He's not so tough when he's lying in a hospital bed.

Having had no luck anywhere else, I decided to see if Malfoy was awake. When I had reached the Hospital Wing with Ron earlier, he had been fast asleep.

Just as I'd hoped, he was awake, and my cousin was asleep.

"Yo" I greeted him softly. He glared at me. "What do _you _want?"

"Ooh, _not _very friendly" I mocked him. "Where do you think your cousin went?"

"Which one?" he mocked back.

I sighed. "The one that _doesn't_ call me 'sweet thang.'"

He looked as if he wanted to give a snappy retort, but then decided against it. "She probably went to the library. She loves that place."

I slapped my forehead. "Duh! Why didn't I think of that?" Then I rushed out without another word.

What? Did you expect me to apologize for my cousin beating him up? _Puh-lease._

xxxxxxxxxxx

Hello. It is I, Draco. When I finally got out of the Hospital Wing, I ignored my cousin and her friend for a couple days. That Friday evening, I was hovering over the Quidditch pitch. I looked over at the Slytherin stands where Felicity and Quarters were sitting. Our first real practice was going alright, but having Crabbe and Goyle as our new beaters unnerved me. Sure, they were strong, but their aim was _awful_. I wish Derrick and Bole hadn't graduated. Oh well.

I watched as Quarters said something and Felicity almost fell off her seat because she was laughing so hard. She seemed to sincerely enjoy that Hufflepuff's company. If it made her happy, I supposed I shouldn't be _too_ horrible about it. At least Quarters wasn't in Gryffindor; that would've been the last straw.

"Malfoy! See the snitch yet?" Montague hollered.

I snapped out of my reverie. "Not yet!" I shouted back, and then I went back to looking for it."Alright, that's all for today!" Montague yelled once I had caught it a half hour later. The entire team immediately stopped their various drills. I flew over to the girls in the stands. They were whispering and giggling about something.I swooped down behind them and landed softly. Sitting on the bench at the back of them, I leaned in until I was inches away from the posterior of their heads. Then I said in a no-louder-than-usual voice, "What are you two up to?"My cousin just started a bit before turning around, but Quarters squeaked and jumped. I smirked. "Are you a witch or a mouse, Quarters?" She glared at rolled her eyes as she brushed her snow-white hair out of her face. "Just for that, we won't show you the amazing spell we just invented."I raised an eyebrow doubtfully. "Amazing?" "It's awesome!" Quarters chimed cousin nodded. "It is EPIC.""It's beyond awesome!""It's BE-awesome!"I groaned. "Are you two going to tell me what it is, or make me leave by being so utterly annoying about it?"Grinning mischievously, Quarters turned to me and said, "As tempting as the second offer is, I guess we'll show you."I leaned back against the stand behind me, crossing my arms. "Go on then."The girls looked at each other and grinned. Then, they simultaneously pointed their wands at their throats and muttered, "_Vox vocis Tamias striatus_".I waited. Lis then counted to three with her fingers. Upon reaching three, they started singing, _"Chriiistmas, Chriiistmas tiiime, is neeear"_I blinked, shocked. Their voices had become disturbingly high-pitched! "What the-" I they kept singing; and in harmony. "_Tiiime for toooys and tiiime for cheeeer! Weee've been gooood but weee can't laaast! Huuurry, Chriiistmas, huuurry faaast-"_I stood up, shaking my head. I mounted my broom, flying off as they burst into hysterical (and squeaky) laughter. I mentally sighed, as I walked to the Slytherin lockers. _I'll never understand those two_.

As I got ready to shower, I remembered that Gryffindor was holding their tryouts this evening. _Should I go…?_ I wondered.

When I left the lockers after my shower, I saw Weasley heading toward the pitch. He was trying out?

I smirked. That settled it, then. I simply could not pass up the opportunity to torment him.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Holla! MJ here again.

Poor Ron looked super nervous when he stepped out onto the pitch. Lis and I had moved to the Hufflepuff stands to watch his tryout. We would've sat in the Gryffindor ones, but we figured Lis wouldn't be welcome there. My family still didn't like her. I was able to sit in the Slytherin stands when we watched their practice because everyone in that House _knows_ not to mess with Felicity Byrd.

Why? A) She's Malfoy's cousin and B) They all somehow knew that it was her that had hospitalized Montague.

So as of now, 5 days into the school year, most Slytherins respect and fear her (other then Gwen and Willis), most Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws ignore her (other than Sadie), and most Gryffindors, including my cousins, seemed to hate her because she's in Slytherin (except for Katie Bell).

We sat through most of the tryouts in bored silence. I was nervous for Ron, so I didn't feel like talking.

He was one of the last in the line up. When he was about to go up in the air, we heard a familiar voice from the Slytherin stands,

"Another Weasley trying out for the team, eh? Where's Potter? Shouldn't he be here to witness your _failure_?"

_Malfoy._

"Yeah, Weasel!" a nasally girl voice added. I recognized it to be Pansy Parkinson. I wondered why she hadn't exacted her revenge on Lis yet, after she had exposed her bra-stuffing habits to half the school. I also wondered why Malfoy still stuck with her.

I voiced my contemplations to Lis.

Lis frowned. "She's probably just biding her time. Either that or she figures giving me the cold-shoulder is punishment enough. And Draco has known her forever, so he might have already known about the"-she snorted-"bra-stuffing".

"Every fool finds a greater one to admire them. " I concluded.

"Yep" she agreed.

Malfoy and Parkinson continued to mock throughout the rest of the tryout. Finally, I had had _enough_.

"Be right back" I muttered to Lis.

"You gonna hurt him?" she asked in a bored voice.

"Not too badly" I told her.

She grinned. "Ok. You know, I really shouldn't, since he's my cousin. But it's ok if you do it."

I smiled and slunk off.

Once I got into the Slytherin stands, I snuck up behind Malfoy and Parkinson, who were the only ones there. I pointed my wand at Malfoy. "_Incarcerous_" I muttered, and then I quickly did the same to Parkinson. After they were both tied up with ropes (not too tightly, though), I performed a silencing charm on them both before they could say "What the-?"

I slipped out before they thought to turn around and see ''who done it''.

By the time I entered the Hufflepuff stands again, Ron was just finishing up. He didn't seem too shabby.

When I reached Lis, she asked me what happened. "You got them to shut up, I noticed. Did they see you?"

I smirked. "No, they didn't see me. And I may or may not have tied them up and performed a silencing charm…" I left that sentence dangling for a moment.

Lis chuckled. "So I guess we should check to make sure they're not still there later?"

"Eh, let's keep 'em there til tomorrow morning" I suggested.

So we did. When we got there Saturday morning, we found a very grouchy pair of Slytherins stuck under the benches.

Lis gasped in apparent horror before quickly releasing them. "Who did this to you?"

Parkinson just glared at her. Malfoy scoffed as he dusted himself off. "The coward didn't show himself. He snuck up from behind."

I stifled my laughter. "That's just low. I wonder who would do such a thing."

"Yeah…" Malfoy looked contemplative. "If I ever get my hands on him…" he trailed off with an angry expression on his face.

"How did you know we were here, anyways, Hufflepuff?" Parkinson asked me. I had never really spoken to her before, and I was amused at how she addressed me.

"This was the last place Lis and I saw Malfoy, _Slytherin_" I replied.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Really?"

Malfoy nodded. "They watched the Slytherin practice last night."

"Oh, I meant to come and watch, but I had a _huge _essay to write. If it wasn't for that, I would have been there to support you" she gushed, linking her arm in his as they walked off.

Gag me with a _shovel_.

xxxxxxxxxxx

George and I (Fred) were helping Katie Bell to the hospital wing, her nose gushing out blood. I am never eating anything that was in my pocket, nor giving it to anyone else, ever again. Oh well. It's not like our afternoon practice was going that great anyway.

We passed the library, and out came a blonde Slytherin with blue streaks in her hair.

_Byrd_. Ugh.

She stopped once she saw us, and then kept pace with us as we walked. "Katie? What happened?" Apparently, she had reunited with Katie already.

Katie gave a muffled sigh, and jerked her thumb toward George and I in turn. Byrd raised her eyebrow.

"We er... may or may not have accidentally given her a prank sweet that causes nosebleeds..." George explained sheepishly.

The Slytherin snorted. "Oh wow. Did you guys just come from practice?" she asked, taking in our Quidditch robes.

"Yeah" I snarled. "And your wanker of a cousin was there, _cheering us on_ the whole time."

She grimaced. "That numbskull" she muttered, hurrying off in the opposite direction. "I'll give him a piece of my mind!" she called over her shoulder.

I laughed bitterly. "Yeah, right."

"She probably is" George told me. "I heard her telling him off yesterday for bullying a first year Gryffindor. She's not as horrible as you think she is."

Katie made a noise of agreement from between us.

I sighed. "She's a Slytherin isn't she?"

"Yeah but-"

"Then she's plenty horrible" I concluded. We were all silent for the rest of the trip to the hospital wing.

**End Chapter 6**


	8. A Slytherin Boyfriend

**Chapter 7**

Two girls skipped their way to the Headmasters office on the dawn of the first Hogsmeade weekend. Felicity, her forest-green-streaked sienna hair tied in a professional looking bun, was toting a folded-up easel. MJ, whose brown hair was tied up in a similar fashion, was carrying several huge presentation boards under her arm. Both girls were wearing professional-looking outfits; Felicity a dark violet jacket and some slacks paired with a mauve blouse, and MJ a businesslike electric violet dress. They both wore black pumps.

They gave the password Dumbledore had given them last night when they requested to meet with him, and they rode up the moving staircase.

"Enter" the Headmaster's kindly voice called after they knocked.

They marched in; all business, and strode in to shake his hand before they set up the easel with a blank board in front.

"Professor Dumbledore" Felicity began. "We have heard much about your Yule Ball that was held last year—"

"And nearly everyone that has told us about it has expressed the desire that another ball would be held" MJ chimed in.

"Now, we understand that it would be uncouth to have everyone stay here over the holidays just to attend another Christmas ball—"

"So we have come up with an idea that we believe we make everyone happy." MJ tapped the blank board with her wand, and it fell to the ground, revealing another board that read in big, golden letters:

_Halloween Masquerade_

_Look around, there's another mask behind you._

_True is False._

_Who is who?_

It looked quite impressive in the mid-morning light streaming in through the window.

"We found out that Muggle Studies is covering Muggle musicals this year, and this semester is Phantom of the Opera." Felicity tapped the board again, revealing a magnificent photo of a masquerade scene. "We took the tagline directly from the musical. Everyone will dress in whatever type of costume they like, but they have to wear a mask—"

"We'd like to hold it in the garden on Halloween night" MJ added. "We've already drawn up plans for decorations" she tapped the board to reveal them.

"Of course, it's up to you to decide what the age limit shall be—"

"—how late we can party—"

"—and a code of conduct for the event."

Dumbledore looked contemplative. "You say that many expressed interest in having another ball?"

Felicity nodded. "Yes, sir. Here are the statistics" she revealed a pie chart. "91.5% of students wished for another ball—"

"—5% said no—"

"—and 3.5% didn't care."

The Headmaster frowned. "Did you ask everyone in the school?"

"Only those that attended the Yule Ball, Professor" Felicity answered.

He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. "I see. Since we are already in the month of October I'm sure you will want an answer as soon as possible. I will talk to a few other teachers, and get back to you before the end of the day. Is that alright, ladies?"

"Yes, sir!" Felicity beamed.

"Thank you, sir!" MJ gathered the boards while Felicity grabbed the easel.

"Good day, Professor" they both shook his hand before leaving.

As soon as they were down the stairs and in another corridor, MJ yanked her hair out of its bun and Felicity took off her pumps and continued down the hall barefoot.

"I think that went rather well, huh?" MJ commented.

"Yep. I knew it would; we only rehearsed a bazillion times."

xxxxxxxxxxx

Hiya! MJ here.

After our interview, Lis and I changed into more comfortable attire, and left for Hogsmeade.

"Should I scope out the stores to make sure we don't run into any annoyances?" I asked my friend. We both had gained a few enemies our first month here; most of them being Gryffindors and Slytherins. Felicity was hated by Gryffindors for being a Slytherin. Slytherins hated me for daring to approach them, not to mention the fact that I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

"Sure" she replied. "I'll disguise myself and take the East side; you take the West, 'kay?"

"Yep."

We both went behind some bushes on the side of the road. As she changed her hair to dark brown and long, her skin to a light tan, and grew about 6 inches, I changed into my animagus form: a fox.

Did I ever mention my animagus powers? No? Well, you never asked!

When I was little, my parents made the decision to become animagi. Since my mother's brother-Uncle Arthur-is one of the biggest blood-traitors around, they figured it'd be safer for our family if we had proper disguises if Voldemort ever returned. After they completed their animagus training (all self-done of course, so we wouldn't have to register), they taught me. I've been an animagus ever since I was 11 years old.

Using magic, Felicity altered my appearance a bit so I could pass for a stray dog, and then we went our separate ways.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Felicity met up with MJ about a half-hour later.

"No good" she told her as they both changed back. "Draco's gang has split up and there's at least one dude in 3 different stores, the Carrow twins are in another one, and Pansy and her crew another. The only clean places aren't even worth going into."

"Same" MJ replied gloomily. Even though Draco was Felicity's cousin, he always picked a fight with her best friend. The Carrow twins were just downright unpleasant, and Pansy's crew was completely annoying.

"Hey! Why don't we go to the Hog's Head? Nobody from Hogwarts ever goes there! And it'll be fun!" the metamorphmagus exclaimed.

MJ was hesitant. "I don't know… I heard it was kind of gross…"

"Aw, c'mon!" Lis grabbed MJ and started leading her towards the place. "Once you get past the smell of goats, it's not half bad. And we have to wear disguises there, so it'll definitely be interesting."

"Disguises? Why?" MJ asked.

"Because I snuck in there my first year, and got banned for life."

"What did you-"

"Gwen was with me. It involved a butterbeer bottle, a guy, and... target practice."

MJ shook her head. "Gwen? Then I definitely don't want to know."

"Nope."

"So what will our disguises be?"

Felicity pulled some robes out of her messenger bag. MJ stared at her in disbelief. "You carry Holocaust cloaks around with you? Who are you; Andre the Giant?"

Her best friend rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Miracle Max said I could keep 'em." Then she shrugged. "Actually, I just figured they would come in handy."

A short while later:

"We look like dementors" MJ complained as they walked up to the bar. She tugged on her dark robes.

"Nuh-uh!" Felicity told her. She then assumed an accent that sounded very much like her friend Gwen as they entered; in order to further complete their disguises. "Makes li'l difference in 'ere anyway. You ge' some strange people 'ere" she said as they sat down near a big picture window.

They observed the other people in the bar with mild interest. It wasn't until the bell rang and the Golden Trio traipsed in that they spoke again.

"Wha' do you think they're doing 'ere?" Felicity asked MJ.

"Search meh" MJ answered in a similar accent.

"'arry looks slightleh nervous abou' somethin'; like 'e's abou' t' do somethin' dangerous. Wha' do you think 'e's worried abou'?"

MJ waved her hand. "Probableh nowt of any consequence."

Felicity raised her eyebrow "'nowt of any consequence'?"

"What?" MJ whispered defensively to her. "It sounded more British-y than 'nothing important'!"

Her companion rolled her eyes.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Hi there, MJ here. We were still sitting in the Hog's Head, and pretty soon, a whole bunch of people filed in, eventually gathering around my cousin and his two friends. I knew most of them either personally, or by reputation.

There were three Gryffindors; a boy named Longbottom that Ginny had gone to the Yule Ball with, a boy who I'm pretty sure was one of Ron's roommate's—Thomas Dean or something—and a girl that Hermione often complained about—Lavender Brown. What a weird name. Who would do that to a daughter?

Anyway, after them were the Patil twins, an Asian girl that was in Lis' year, and a girl next to her that I'd never seen before. I grinned when I saw Luna Lovegood; I had her in some classes, she was awesome. Then came Katie and the other Gryffindor Chasers. The Creevey brothers traipsed in too (Colin was in a few of my classes, he was cute). Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbot—Hufflepuff's new prefects—were there, along with Ernie's best friend, Justin, and Susan Bones. Then there were three Ravenclaw boys; Goldstein (a prefect), Michael Corner (Ginny's boyfriend), and a dude who I'm pretty sure was named Boot. Oh, and there was Ginny! I almost waved, when Lis kicked me and I remembered that I was in disguise. I wanted to know why they were there, and I'm sure Lis did too, so I decided to act like I didn't know them.

After Ginny, the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain came in: Zacharias Smith. He was pretty good-looking, but he was kind of a snob.

And last but not least, I beamed widely under my hood when Fred and George waltzed in with their friend Lee. They had obviously been to Zonko's; they were holding a ton of bags from there. Those three got along with Lis now, or at least tolerated her after...

_Cue Flashback!_

_"MJ? Byrd?"_

_Felicity and I nearly jumped a mile, but then we realized it was just Fred, George, and Lee. We were crouched outside of Umbridge's quarters. "SH!" we shushed simultaneously._

_"What are you doing?" Fred whispered._

_"You'll see tomorrow, ok?" Felicity stated quietly. "Just... go. The more people here, the more we risk being caught."_

_"That's rubbish," Lee muttered. Fred looked as if he wanted to stay too, but George whispered, "Let's just go, mates," so they slunk off._

_End Flashback_

The next day, once they saw Snape unwittingly wearing Umbridge's cardigan for a day, and Umbridge—equally unwittingly—wearing Snape's billowy cape of doom for a day, they had a whole new respect for my best friend. She was the one who had masterminded it all. Lee was still the stiffest around her, and Fred had more of a grudging respect, but George was completely at ease with her. He was always the more laid back of the twins.

I looked over at Lis to see what she was making of all of these people in the Hog's Head. It was kind of hard to see her face because of the hood, but I could tell she wasn't looking at me; she was staring in the direction of my twin cousins and their friend. I kicked her under the table and hissed, "Don't act like you're watching them! What kind of a spy are you?"

I could practically FEEL her glaring at me through the hood, but she stayed facing me.

We waited. Hermione called them all to order, and they started talking about how they had to learn to defend themselves. After they all signed a parchment and left, I frowned and looked over at Lis. "Why didn't they tell us about this?" I asked in an undertone.

"_Hellooo? _I'm a _Slytherin_" she pointed out.

"Oh yeah. But you'd think my own cousins—"

"—would know that I'd be the first person you told about this. Correct?"

I sighed dejectedly. "But Fred and George—"

"Ron probably got Hermione to tell them not to tell us."

"Yeah..." I downed the rest of my butterbeer. Then I thought of something. "Wait. How did you know that it was Hermione that invited them?"

"Er…" she paused. "... Ok. I overheard her telling Cho Chang about it."

I was at a loss for words for a moment. "So… you would have made me come here, even if it was safe to go into another store?"

"Yep" she quietly chirped before finishing her drink. "But I had us scout anyway 'cuz I figured you'd appreciate the excuse to _run around_."

I chuckled. It _was_ a lot of fun to travel quickly on four paws as a fox. I didn't get to do that often, seeing as how I was unregistered.

So don't go blabbing it to anyone, 'kay?

"Nice." I told Lis. "But they'll never let us join."

"You're right" she said sadly.

"Oi!" the barman yelled, making us jump. How did he get next to us so fast? "You walk in 'ere with an accent, and suddenly you lose it and sound like.." he yanked off Felicity's hood. His eyes narrowed.

"Hehe... hello, Aberforth... how's it going?" Lis grinned sheepishly up at the elderly-but scary-man. "Business been good?"

Less than a minute later, we were on the street, heading back to the main part of Hogsmeade.

xxxxxxxxxxx

G'day, it's Felicity. After disrobing so that we could stroll around in our Muggle clothes, MJ and I wandered through Hogsmeade a bit. We stopped in Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, so that MJ could buy a new hourglass, and then we had to go back to the castle for lunch. We wanted to be available for Dumbledore, since we were still waiting for his answer about the Ball. And we didn't really feel like talking to anyone we saw in the pub; we didn't want to reveal that we knew about their secret Defense classes.

Once we got back to the castle, I sat with MJ at her House's table like I usually did. Gwen, Sadie, Lee, Fred, and George usually joined us, but they were all still in Hogsmeade. The only Hufflepuffs there were first and second years. But my brother came over and sat with us, his hair falling into his eyes as usual.

"Hey guys" he greeted, sitting next to MJ, who inconspicuously scooted away from him a tiny bit.

Have I mentioned Willis' crush on my best friend? It's adorable. She doesn't find it amusing though.

"What's up, Willis?" MJ asked him.

"My interest, Doll-face." I snorted into my pumpkin juice.

"Oh, geez" she said, sounding strangled. He had gotten much bolder with his flirting this year.

I couldn't _wait _until he was a teenager.

He grinned at her flustered expression and looked over at me. "Why are you guys back so early?"

I sighed. "We didn't feel like exploring too much today. And besides, we're still waiting for an answer from Dumbledore."

"Oh yeah! How'd your lecture go?"

"Our _presentation_ went just fine. He just has to clear it with the other teachers."

"I still say your mini-seminar was boring." Willis told us.

"We spiced it up!" MJ told him defensively.

"How?"

"We used pictures."

"Ooooooh" he sarcastically acted impressed.

I rolled my eyes and flipped my brown and green hair out of my face as they continued to bicker. Then I turned around and looked over to the Slytherin table. Draco was sitting with his back to me and across from Adrian Pucey, a Chaser on our House team. I wondered why they weren't in Hogsmeade. Adrian caught my eye and smiled. I smiled back, and then looked away. I remembered Adrian from my first year...

_Flashback_

"Avifors! Avifors!"_ I cried, jabbing at my clay vase with my wand._

Unsurprisingly, nothing happened. Not even a wisp of light. The stupid vase would not turn into a bird.

The Slytherin common room clock struck one. I was exhausted. I was only a month into my first year at Hogwarts, and I was already having trouble with a class. I slumped over the table and tried hard not to cry in frustration, the angry tears threatening to spill.

I heard a noise from the stairway to the boys dormitory and looked up. Standing in the doorway was a boy that I had seen around the common room before, but never spoken to. He was kind of pale, had short, dark hair, big ears that stuck out from his head like a car with open doors, and he was wearing bright orange pajamas.

"Oh!" I quietly exclaimed as I stood up and quickly swiped away my stupid tears with my fist. "I'm sorry! D-did I wake you up?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I was up getting a drink when I noticed that there was still some light coming from up here. Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked kindly as he approached me. His voice was slightly deep, I could tell it was still in the process of changing. Once he reached me I realized that he was about the same height as me. But I had never seen him in any of my classes...

"Having trouble with a spell, huh?" he continued when I didn't answer him, looking down at the accursed piece of pottery that refused to be a bird.

"Yeah... I hate Transfiguration" I told him. "It's never been easy for me, but I've just about had it now! I can't get this stupid vase to turn into a bird!" I plopped back down on the floor and scowled at the vase.

The boy was nonplussed. "I love Transfiguration. It's one of my favorite classes!"

"It's dumb."

He shook his head. "You're just saying that because you don't understand it." He sat down next to me. "Show me what you've been doing" he instructed.

I really was not _in the mood for company. Nor did I like it when people criticized my work. But I did what he said anyway._

He watched me closely, and after I tried and failed he startled me with an, "AHA!"

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"You're jabbing _your wand at it. You want to _wave _it, like this" he demonstrated, pretending to hold a wand. "Now you try."_

I sighed. "Ok."

Waving my wand like he showed me, I halfheartedly said, "Avifors_."_

Nothing happened. Gee, that _was a big surprise. I raised my eyebrows at the boy._

He rolled his eyes. "Now do it again-" I started to protest, but he cut me off "-and say the incantation like you mean it" he finished.

I made a face, but did it again. "AVIFORS!_"_

Vivid blue light shot from my wand, and before I knew it, a beautiful blue bird had replaced the vexatious, vapid vase.

I stared at in in shock. "See?" the boy said triumphantly. "You can do it!"

"Whoa" I said quietly. Then, I beamed at him. "Thanks!"

He laughed. "Happy to help. I'm Adrian" he held out his hand.

I shook it. "Felicity."

Soon after that, I learned that his last name was Pucey, and he was a second year. He helped me with Transfiguration not only every night for the rest of that semester, but every night for the rest of the year. I found out that he loved Quidditch, and wanted to try out for Chaser the next year. Now that I'm back, I can see that he obviously made the team.

He and I really didn't get to hang out much this year. I no longer needed his help in Transfiguration; I was excelling in that and my many extra classes, and he was studying for his N.E.W.T.s and playing Quidditch, so after we were reunited in the common room on my first day back, we just said 'hi' in the hallways. I didn't really mind though. Whenever I did talk to him I became uncharacteristically tongue-tied. He was no longer a scrawny, big-eared second year, and I had _definitely_ noticed that.

Yeesh. I hate getting older.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Yes, it is I-Draco.

I turned around when I noticed Adrian smiling at someone behind me. It was then that I noticed my cousin and Quarters sitting at the Hufflepuff table. I wondered why they were back already. Adrian and I didn't go to Hogsmeade because he spent the morning teaching me the Sloth Grip Roll, since I had almost been pummeled by a bludger in our last practice.

I looked back at Adrian to see him frown slightly. "Why do you let your cousin sit with the Hufflepuffs?" he asked me.

I snorted. "Do you really think Felicity listens to me? Besides, her best friend is a Hufflepuff."

He grinned wryly. "I can't say that I don't think she's on the right track; we _should _make friends in other Houses, but it sure gives me a lot less time to talk to her."

I was dumbstruck. "Wait, what?"

Chuckling, he told me "Don't look so surprised that I know her. You must remember, she was here for her first year; before you came. I met her then. We hung out in the common room quite a lot."

"Really? And now she doesn't want anything to do with you?"

He frowned again. "I hope not. I think we're just both so busy..." We fell into a comfortable silence as we finished our lunch.

Once I had cleaned my plate, I noticed that he was gazing at the Hufflepuff table again, a far-off look in his eyes. I snickered. "Don't tell me you fancy her?"

He snapped his gaze back to me and raised an eyebrow. "What if I did?"

I shrugged. "I don't have a problem with it. I think a Slytherin boyfriend would be good for her."

"Oh, I'm so glad I have your seal of approval" he said sarcastically.

"So are you going to ask her out?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe..." Then he gathered his things and headed out. "See you later, Draco."

"See you."

**End Chapter 7**


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